A further incident of deliberately hidden poisoned food was discovered by a dog owner at a Congleton green space on Friday.

A resident who did not wish to be named previously told Congleton Nub News that there have been regular incidents of anti-social behaviour at the Atkin Close park over the last year.

The play area, located opposite the Unicorn pub on Holmes Chapel Road, has been the subject of planted poison and broken glass.

With the park being a popular dog walker route, the poisonous food is being placed deep in the grass where dogs are likely to be sniffing and where their owners cannot see.

The resident, whose dogs have become poorly in the past after eating the suspiciously planted food, told Congleton Nub News that Friday's incident was the first case since her concerns were first publicised six weeks ago.

They added: "I was just walking around the park and one of my dogs started sniffing this particular area, I told him to leave it and luckily he did. That's when I found the poisonous meat.

"It was only a few days earlier that the council had cut the grass on the park, so the perpetrator had gone to some effort to make sure the food was hidden and not visible to dog walkers."

To ensure that no other dog walkers encountered the same issue, the resident picked up the poison and disposed of it straight away.

The anonymous resident had no doubt that the food planted was from the same person who has gone out of their way to target Atkins Close park.

They continued: "It's definitely the same person, the way that it's planted is so unusually looking and neat. They're going to great lengths to plant this poison whoever they are."

With access to veterinary centres proving problematic due to the government's current Covid-19 guidelines, the dog walker is hoping that a combined increase in a patrolling presence from both wardens and police officers will either deter or catch the perpetrator.

A Cheshire East Council spokesperson previously said: "We are aware of these complaints and we are working with Congleton Town Council and local police to establish the precise nature of these incidents and consider further action.

"This would appear to be extreme anti-social behaviour, which could also amount to criminal behaviour depending on the severity of the nuisance caused.

"We have asked the police to step up patrols of the area while the council will also increase monitoring of the park with a view to identifying the person or persons responsible."

Cheshire East Council told Nub News they were looking into this latest incident.

A Congleton Town Council spokesperson told Nub News that Congleton PCSOs, Cheshire East Council's community wardens and the town council's Streetscape staff have all been made aware of the issues at Atkins Close park and have been checking the area.

The town council added: "The Streetscape staff have been going over the area with rakes at least once a week.

"We urge local residents to be vigilant and if anybody sees anything suspicious to contact the police via 101. Alternatively, information can be given anonymously by contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."