A GARELOCHHEAD resident has hit out at “disrespectful” dog owners who fail to pick up after their pets in a cemetery where heroes of both world wars are buried.

Jean Byrne contacted the Advertiser to voice her anger at irresponsible owners who allow their animals to foul Faslane Cemetery and let them off the leash to trample over graves.

Jean says she is a regular visitor to the cemetery where she can enjoy the quiet outdoors.

However, recent walks have been disturbed by other locals who let their pets roam free and tread over the plots in the cemetery grounds.

Jean’s concerns were aired after officials at Argyll and Bute Council, which owns the cemetery, suggested scrapping half the jobs in the authority's warden service – whose duties include enforcement and monitoring of dog fouling.

READ MORE: Council to consider slashing scale of warden service

Jean said: “I’m a regular dog walker with two dogs, one is a year old and the other is six-months-old.

“I regularly walk my dogs in Faslane cemetery and they are always on leashes. But there are people who go there and their dogs are loose, running all over graves and it’s starting to get out of hand.

“There’s graves there that are absolutely lovely, especially children’s ones, and these people are letting their dogs run all over them and do the toilet wherever they like without picking it up.

“One couple had their dog running free the other day and my language was choice to them, I said to these two idiots ‘why isn’t your dog on a leash?’

“I’m sorry, but it’s just getting out of hand now.

"These people are going to get in serious trouble and they are not going to be happy. It’s an absolute disgrace.”

The Faslane cemetery, according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, is the site of 33 First World War graves and nine for military personnel who died in the Second World War.

Thirty-one of the WW1 graves are to the victims of the K13 submarine tragedy, when 32 men lost their lives after the steam-powered vessel sank in the nearby Gareloch on January 29, 1917.

There is also a special memorial which stands in memory of a Fairfield Shipbuilding Company employee who perished aboard K13, and whose body was never recovered.

READ MORE: Navy's tribute to K13 tragedy victims

The savings option went before the full council's annual budget meeting on Thursday.

An irate Jean added: “It’s quite nice walking around the cemetery and I often go there as it’s peaceful.

“The police said leave it to us, so they have been made aware now that there are people who have no respect for loved ones’ graves.

“Every dog does the toilet but I know when mine are going to do it and I always pick it up.”

A council spokesman said: “We would urge dog owners to behave responsibly and to clean up after their pets.

“Our dog fouling wardens carry out enforcement patrols across Argyll and Bute, and the public can help us by contacting our customer service centre on 01546 605514 and providing information which assists the wardens in addressing the issue, and potentially catching offending dog owners in the act of not cleaning up after their pet.”