Dog owners urged to pick up the poop

Manchester's dog owners are being urged to keep the city's public places clean this summer by making sure they pick up the poop.

As part of national poop scoop week, Manchester City Council environmental officers are teaming up with the Dogs Trust charity to hold a series of events across the city encouraging dog lovers to follow the campaign's message - grab it, bag it, bin it.

Members of the team - along with pug dogs to grab the youngsters' attention - will visit St Catherine's Primary in Didsbury on Monday June 23 to tell pupils about responsible dog ownership, before visiting Charlestown Primary in Blackley the following day.

Pupils from both schools have been invited to take part in a competition to create posters encouraging dog owners to clean up after their pets, with the winning designs being put up in parks across the city.

The team will be on hand at Boggart Hole Clough in Blackley on Monday afternoon to hand out information and free biodegradable poop scoop bags to dog owners, and will set up at Didsbury Park on Thursday afternoon.

The City Council collects around 500 tonnes of dog waste from parks and streets each year - about 8,000 instances of dog fouling every day throughout Manchester. Dog owners are issued £80 fixed penalty fines for not cleaning up after their animals. This falls to £50 if paid within 10 days, but can lead to a fine of up to £1,000 if not paid.

As well as being an anti-social nuisance, dog fouling can cause serious health risks, in particular the disease toxocariasis, which leads to blindness in small children.

Councillor Paul Andrews, the City Council's Executive Member for the Neighbourhood Services, said: "Most dog owners are responsible and pick up after their pets, but there are still those who don't seem to mind causing problems for other residents.

"This is a problem we're determined to tackle to make sure residents and visitors can enjoy Manchester's parks, squares and pavements. We're holding these events to make sure dog owners - particularly members of the younger generation - fully understand their responsibilities."

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