DOG owners will now have to pay for poo bags from East Lothian Council after it was revealed some people have been using the free bags to dispose of dirty nappies.

Councillors voted to charge £1 per 50 bags at a meeting this week, despite warnings from some members that it would not help the fight against dog fouling.

Eileen Morrison, head of customer services at the council, told councillors a survey of the East Lothian Citizens Panel last year had found two-thirds of people wanted a nominal fee to be charged for the bags.

She argued responsible dog owners should be prepared to pay.

She said: “Dog ownership is expensive and a choice people make. Owning a dog, insurance companies estimate, can cost £16,000 in its lifetime, therefore owning a dog is not something people should enter lightly and a charge of £1 for 50 bags should be a factor in the costs.” Ms Morrison told councillors not everyone who used the free bags service wanted them for pets and they were using them for other things.

She added: “Demand for bags was high; some members of the public admitted they were using them for other things rather than picking up dog waste.” A council spokesperson later confirmed the most common “alternative” use for the bags by people taking them was to use them as nappy sacks.

East Lothian Council is currently one of 16 local authorities in Scotland providing free dog waste bags through council offices and library branches.

Twelve local authorities do not offer them and a further three already charge for packets of bags.

Council officials said they believed charging £1 per pack could bring in revenue of £13,000 a year, which could, after the costs were taken into account, be invested in initiatives to promote responsible dog ownership.

But councillors argued the problem of dog fouling was an issue with irresponsible dog owners who would never pay for the bags.

Councillor Stuart Currie, leader of the SNP opposition on the council, said his party could not support charging for the bags, which he said would make dog fouling worse.

He said: “I believe it will have a negative impact and we cannot support the charge.

“We have a £220m budget. If I thought the problems the council face could be changed by £13,000 I’d be cheering it on.” Councillor Norman Hampshire said the majority of dog owners already bought waste bags rather than take the free ones from the council and the charge would make no difference to them.

On the issue of dog fouling, he said: “We need more enforcement, we need to pursue these people so everyone becomes a responsible dog owner.” The council has been supplying free dog waste bags since 1993 and estimates fewer than 2,000 people in the county use the service.

The council voted by 13 votes to seven, with one abstention by independent councillor David Berry, to introduce the £1 charge.