'Poo patrol' vows to bombard council with dog dirt

People in Knott End-on-Sea are concerned that not enough dog owners are cleaning up after their pets

A group of residents angry about dog fouling along their seafront have set up a "poo patrol" as a way of highlighting the problem.

Villagers from Knott End-on-Sea, near Fleetwood in Lancashire, walk 1.5 miles along the Esplanade between The Bourne Arms pub and Beach Road, taking pictures of dog faeces along the way and cleaning it up.

Organiser Sandra Pope said her group intended to "bombard" Wyre Council with photographs and bags of dog poo.

Wyre Council said there were eight large bins and about 20 standard ones in the Knott End area, with their placement having been decided in consultation with Preesall Town Council.

'Dog muck'

Ms Pope, who moved to the seaside village two years ago from Manchester, said: "I used to be a litter picker in the Manchester area and I was so pleased at Knott End that there is so little litter.

"But the amount of dog poo is terrible. It seems to be even worse over the winter."

She said she thought the council needed evidence of a problem before it could respond with any action.

And so, after her group's patrols, she said the local authority would be "bombarded with photographs and piles of dog poo in bags".

Fellow volunteer Linzi Foster-Nicholson said: "We just want the village to be back to how it used to be.

"I actually had some dog muck in my garden on Sunday, right up by the front door.

"Me, Sandra and the volunteers are going to crack this!"

Wyre Council said it recognised that dog fouling sometimes increases in the dark, winter months, because it is not as easy to locate.

To effectively allocate resources in "hot spot" areas, the council said it relied upon residents' reports.