Don’t pick up dog poo – flick it into undergrowth instead, MP suggests
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Dog walkers are being urged not to bag up their pet's poo in the countryside - but to use a stick and flick it into the undergrowth instead.
Conservative MP Anne Main advocated the method during a Westminster debate this week as a way of reducing the number of plastic bags blighting the countryside.
Mrs Main says better signage is needed at the entrance of parks and open spaces so dog owners know what to do.
She says poo-filled bags hanging from trees are a nationwide problem.
Local authorities in England and Wales received some 73,824 complaints about dog fouling in 2014-15.
Mrs Main (pictured), MP for St Albans and the owner of a three-year old Lakeland Jack Russell Terrier called Sam, says the menace of poo-filled bags "is a massive problem" that is polluting the environment.
"The issue of bagging dog poo and hanging it on trees and fences has become a nationwide issue. Since I got the debate in parliament, I’ve had people from all over the country contacting me about problems in their area," she said.
"I want dog-owners to exercise common sense when dealing with their dog poo. We need to discuss some kind of country code, and say that it is not acceptable to simply bag it up and throw in on a tree, or in people’s gardens, or to hang it on fences.
"I am very aware that dog excrement can carry diseases, and the concerns that farmers have for their livestock, but we need to have a common-sense approach that educates dog-walkers."
Mrs Main, who is raised the issue during a Westminster Hall debate on Tuesday, says many dog walkers start off with the best intentions, by leaving a bag in a tree on a track to pick up on the way home - but then forget to collect it.
She hoped ministers will press for better signage at the entrance to forest areas and parks with advice on dog poo disposal.
She also thinks the Forestry Commission-backed campaign for dog walkers to use a "stick and flick" the mess off the pathway and into the undergrowth, or cover it with leaves, is a more effective way of removing the mess.
Keep Britain Tidy estimates there are more than eight million dogs in the UK producing more than 1,000 tonnes of mess every day.
Anyone who fails to clear up after their dog can be issued with a fixed penalty notice. If the case goes to court, this could cost the owner or person in charge of the animal up to £1,000.
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