Litterpickers say nation's open spaces are dotted with full waste bags

Why CAN’T dog walkers take their poo bags home with them? Litterpickers say nation’s open spaces are dotted with full waste bags and even the Queen’s Balmoral estate is not immune

  • Fuming walkers have discovered bags full of dog waste dumped in countryside
  • The Queen’s Balmoral estate not immune with rangers finding 20 discarded bags
  • Charities call it the ‘number one’ issue and call on Britons to put waste in the bin 

Irresponsible dog walkers dumping their pets’ waste is on the rise across the country as pet owners feel less likely to be confronted over the issue in locked-down Britain.

Litter pickers have reported finding baggies full of excrement across the country abandoned in country lanes, tied up on fences or left near bins.

Social media has been filled with images from users fuming at those who decided not to deal with the foul mess themselves.

Polls on litter find that the issue is the number one concern among respondents and experts say it is on the rise because of lockdown.

This week even rangers from the Queen’s sprawling 55-acre Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire discovered a mountain of 20 bags left behind by owners.

Litter pickers have shared their grim finds of bags full of waste on social media 

Sharing a picture of their grim find, they tweeted: ‘Why do people do this?

‘This was all cleared away this morning plus another 20+ bags as well.’

In Upton St Leonards, Gloucestershire, horse owner Kathryn Bell was furious to find bags tied to fences around the paddock she keeps her animal in.

She slammed the ‘lazy’ dog walkers, adding the plastic could be deadly to her animals if they mistook the bags for treats. 

Kathryn, 41 and from Brockworth, ‘It’s something you see all the time now.

‘There’s always poo bags hung on a fence or on a bush. It’s definitely increased since lockdown.

‘More walkers around our field and a lot more poo bags because of it. To think that the people that are doing it are dog owners so you’d think they’d be animal lovers, yet they don’t give a toss about the animals in the field that could ingest it.

‘I don’t know if its just laziness or they put it there to remind themselves to throw it away on the way back. 

‘I don’t know why they do it.’ 

Kathryn Bell fumed about the bag abandoned near her horses’ paddock as the animals confuse the sound of it for their treats

Rangers in Balmoral Castle shared their own discovery of 20 bags full of dog waste on the estate 

Balmoral rangers slammed those who leave behind their waste, rather than taking it home with them or finding a bin

Staff said they had found a ‘mountain’ of waste on the Queen’s Balmoral Estate in Aberdeenshire

And in Herefordshire, Hay-on-Wye Town Council fumed as it shared a picture on social media of dumped bags full of dog mess left near one of its four dog bins.

A spokesman for the RSPCA warned the plastic bags used by dog owners can make animals seriously ill if they are eaten and called on owners to deal with them properly.

They added: ‘We promote responsible dog ownership and encourage all dog owners to bag up their dog’s mess and bin it appropriately. 

‘We all want to enjoy our parks, footpaths and countryside without seeing dog poo or discarded poo bags littered on the verges or hanging from bushes and trees. 

Another discarded dog waste bag posted to social media by fed up members of the public

‘These bags are usually made from plastic so do not decompose properly and are therefore hazardous to the environment. 

‘Wildlife can get tangled and injured by these bags and animals such as deer, horses and livestock can become seriously ill if they ingest the bags when grazing.’

Charity Keep Britain Tidy describes dog fouling as the number one issue the public is most concerned about.

A spokesman said: ‘Whether it’s our research-led campaigns, our innovations, our legal advice, or our work with land managers and dog charities we are working hard to tackle the issue.’

Expert Andy Coleman, who runs the dogfoul.org website, says there has been an increase in the amount of droppings not being picked up across the UK during lockdown.

He said: ‘The three to eight per cent of dog owners that are irresponsible tarnish the image of all dog owners.

‘Their actions not only cause social grievance, they impact on the natural environment, the enjoyment of parks and open spaces as well as causing serious health risks due to the bacteria that can be found in them.’

‘We think this is mainly due to the fact that with less people out on the streets, the irresponsible dog owners feel safe in the knowledge that there are less people potentially watching them and therefore simply do not bother picking up after their dogs.’

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