Mr Ogden said he had two letters printed in the Examiner about the issue in the past six weeks, he has had several phone calls and comments of support, but most have either not known how, or been too scared, to report the offences.

“A lot of people have said they have the same problem but don’t want to create any animosity with their neighbours. Believe me it’s not my trip to be a stirrer - but a lot of people get affected in their own neighbourhoods, and don’t know what to do.”

He said since the letters, one owner of a repeat offender has taken the issue on board, “and I’m grateful for that.”

“But many people say the don’t know what to do.”

Both council rangers, and police, have powers to control barking dogs.

“While council says rangers can respond to an emergency after hours, that doesn’t seem to cover offensive barking. I’d really like to see council make available a ranger at night-time, because that’s when they can be the biggest nuisance. Otherwise they’re only acting on hearsay,” he said.

“Most of my immediate neighbours have dogs that are never a problem. This isn’t about the odd bark to alert the owners that someone’s in the vicinity; it’s the yapping or barking that starts in the middle of the night and goes on for hours at a time, and at night the noise can travel over a big distance.”

Council’s Director of Development and Environmental Services Graham Price confirmed that barking dogs were not considered an emergency, but rangers respond to calls first thing the next day, even on weekends.

He said when a complaint is received, council attempts to speak with all parties and neighbours, undertake a letter-box drop in a problem neighbourhood requesting more information about where and when barking dogs are a problem, undertake random, after-hours patrols in targeted areas, and can hire out special dog collars and provide information to help stop dogs from barking.