Barking mad at owners who don't bin the bag

On many of Yorkshire's most popular routes many encountered an increasingly familiar sight.

Small plastic bags, some of them in various shades of blues and purples and often made pearlescent by their contents, were strung along barbed wire fences or scattered beside the paths. In some cases they dangled from the newly budding branches of bushes and trees. More often, they were strewn along the sides of the paths themselves, and even left for walkers to step over.

Some people consider that they have done their duty by leaving their dog mess in a bag and expect someone else to take it away. As a result, the bags – garishly coloured to give them maximum visibility for pedestrians – are creating a new litter problem in the countryside.

Dog ownership in the UK has increased by almost a million in the last decade to around 8m animals.

In the Yorkshire region, one in every four households has a dog.

Not disposing of dog waste responsibly can leave the owner liable to a 1,000 fine under the Dog (Fouling of Land) Act 1996, although it is more usual for local authorities to issue a fixed penalty notice of 50. For persistent offences, the animal may be seized by a council's Dog Warden.

The disease Toxocariasis can be spread by dog faeces and young children are most at risk. One strain of the disease can cause severe abdominal pain and fever. Another can lead to visual impairment and even blindness.

On a bright spring day at Fewston Reservoir in the Washburn Valley, Christopher and Hilary Atkinson were walking their dog, Lucas, and carrying a green bag of poop to the nearest bin.

It's a mistake to assume that all bags left beside the path have been left for someone else to clear up, Christopher said. "We leave the bag if we know we'll be returning that way, rather than carry it with us for the rest of the walk. A lot of people do that.

"However," added Hilary, "you can always tell that some bags have been lying there for days. I get so upset when I see that people just leave it for someone else to clear up. It's so anti-social."

Some bags on the market are biodegradablebut they are more expensive than the usual non-biodegradable bags, which would take some 500 years to deplete.

Alastair Harvey, countryside and recreation manager for Yorkshire Water, arranged a Dog Responsibility Day at Swinsty Reservoir, with the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals and dog wardens from Harrogate Borough Council giving advice to dog owners and free health checks on their pets.

"The vast majority of dog owners who visit our sites behave responsibly," he said, "but unfortunately some still don't clear up after their animals and it's these people we need to educate," he said.

Canal towpaths are where the problem is particularly visible. Walking along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal at Rodley, on the west side of Leeds, Linda Bateman, a community support officer with Leeds City Council, said that sometimes the sight of mess left by dogs there made her feel sick.

Over on the Rochdale Canal at Todmorden, there has been such a problem that local people dressed a canal-side tree with filled plastic bags as a stark reminder to dog-walkers.

Louse Harrison of the Upper Calder Valley Renaissance group said: "We have some beautiful countryside and it is barking mad that people insist on spoiling it by not clearing up after their pets."

Rob Evans, chief executive of British Waterways, added: "Why put something that is biodegradable into a bag that isn't, and then chuck it into the nearest hedge? It just doesn't make sense."

Bag and bin

Buy packets or rolls of poo bags at supermarkets, pet shops, garden centres and vets.

Keep the bags, and a poop scoop if you prefer to use one, next to your dog's lead.

Do not take dogs into parks that have children's playgrounds.

Once used, knot the bag with its handles to tie it securely.

Safely dispose of the bag in a dedicated dog poo bin. If you can't find one, it must be double-wrapped before being placed in a public litter bin. If you can find neither, take the bag home and dispose of it safely.

CW 24/4/10