Winnie the Pooh and her dog dirt army

Couple Stan and Winnie Glaves, of Sunnybank, kickstarted the clean-up of the neighbourhood, and now they and other neighbours collect between 20 and 60 bags a week of dog poo left by irresponsible dog owners, and dispose of it.

Winnie, who jokingly calls herself Winnie the Pooh, said: “I’m quite proud, we’ve lived here 35 years and it’s a lovely place.

“Recently the dog poo was getting worse, so we decided to do something about it.We kickstarted the clean-up and they are all at it now. We collect between 20 to 60 bags a weel but if dog owners were responsible and picked up after their pets, we wouldn’t have to do it.” Stan said: “It’s a lovely place for dog walkers but they have to pick their poo up.”

Mark Woodhead, Supervisor of the Dog Warden Service, said: “Although we are very appreciative of the efforts local people make to deal with issues of dog fouling in their area, removing the mess will not eliminate the source of the problem. Instead it would be more effective to report dog fouling hotspots to the council so that its enforcement team can monitor the situation and investigate individual cases with the aim of apprehending the offenders.

“Another issue in removing third party dog waste is the risk of infection, including Toxocariasis.

“This is a rare infection caused by roundworm parasites and is spread from animals to humans via their infected faeces. Many puppies are infested with the roundworm parasites from birth and all dogs need regular worming.

“If you are picking up dog faeces that do not belong to your dog you cannot be sure it has been wormed.”

Residents who have any issues in relation to dog fouling can report the problem by email to [email protected] or by calling 01524 582935.