A ‘disgusting’ number of dog poo bags are being left inside tree tubes at a new planted woodland near Ribchester, a charity has said.
Ribble Rivers Trust said the ‘disheartening’ behaviour was blighting the woodland site at Salesbury Hall, on the banks of the River Ribble just outside the village.
The trust said dog owners were dumping full dog poo bags into the green tubes on a regular basis, rather than act responsibly and take them home.
Read more: More than 8,500 trees planted at Longridge’s Spade Mill Reservoir
Posting on its Facebook page, Ribble Rivers Trust said: “It seems like we have a smelly problem at our Salesbury Hall woodland site.
“We’re finding a frankly disgusting number of poo bags left inside tree tubes for our staff and our volunteers to discover whilst we’re maintaining our woodlands.
“It’s really disheartening for the people who give their time to care for these spaces so, we want to use it as a reminder to always follow the Countryside Code when you’re out and about.”
Urging dog walkers and other users of the countryside to ‘respect’, ‘protect’ and ‘enjoy’ the outdoors responsibly, it said the last damage of discarded dog poo bags was hard to overstate.
It added: “Dog poo bags left behind don’t disappear, even when they’re tied up or tucked out of sight. Even biodegradable bags only break down under very specific industrial composting conditions, and if they do break down in the environment, they break down into microplastics.
“Dog poo also contains very high levels of E. coli and other nasties compared to livestock and humans, so leaving it behind, or using a ‘stick and flick’ approach, still risks polluting the environment.
“Taking dog waste home helps protect wildlife, rivers, and the people who care for these places.”
Dog poo contains the neospora parasite and, if ingested by cows and calves, can prove fatal for livestock.
Dog muck and discarded dog poo bags are becoming an increasing issue in many beauty spots around the county, with rural areas blighted by reckless pet owners failing to clear up after the canine best friends.
It has also been an issue affecting some wards in Preston, with Blog Preston reporting back in November how bins in Lightfoot Lane, Fulwood, were left overflowing with seeping bags of dog faeces.
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