The village waging a very British war on dog waste

Where rolling fields meet towering trees, a hawthorn-lined bridleway on the outskirts of a West Yorkshire town is about as idyllic as a suburban snicket gets.

But amid the sound of birdsong and the faint rumble of the nearby M62, anger is also in the air.

Warning notices punctuate the path, strewn with capital letters and red text, imploring dog owners to take home their pet's waste.

Recently, volunteers collected 350 dog poo bags within a stretch of slightly more than a quarter of a mile (0.4km).

Pushed into hedgerows, hung from tree branches and flung into banks along the route, the litter has been piling up on this local route in Scholes, near Cleckheaton.

Clean-up volunteers who have had enough have launched their own protest; erecting signs and leaving dozens of the weighty filled bags they collect displayed on the path to make a quiet - but squelchy - statement.

The signs were attached to fences and gates on the popular public bridleway off Scholes Lane earlier this week.

They explained that the bags had been collected following the "disgusting" behaviour of "super lazy" dog owners they claim "simply cannot be bothered putting them in the bin at home".

They add that some of the bags were displayed along the route in the hopes that "the person who dumped them would see what they have created and dispose of them properly".

But the note finishes by saying no-one collected their rubbish and that "kind local people did their dirty work for them".

Denise, who walks her elderly pug Ralph along the route, says she found it "bizarre" some of the bags were left in protest.

"That somebody could take the time to collect it - I just do not want to imagine what it takes to do that," she told the BBC.

"But it is a lovely green space. It is awful that they throw them everywhere."

Tim Kershaw, 66, was walking dog Tobi when he told the BBC people leaving mess bags annoys him because it "paints all dog owners in a bad light".

"If I can do it properly then why can't everybody else?"

"It is so ridiculous," dog-walker Rod added.

"It is the people throwing bags with poo in them that are the problem, they might as well not bother picking it up," he adds.

The waste was left despite council signs already in place along the path warning dog owners to clean up after their canines.

According to Kirklees Council, there are 15,000 of the signs across the authority and fines of up to £1,000 can be given to dog owners spotted leaving waste behind.

Many areas have dog control Public Space Protection Orders in place - which could lead to prosecution for owners who don't dispose of the dirt.

While dedicated dog bins are not provided, pet owners are encouraged to train their pets to go at home and dispose of faeces hygienically.

If a dog fouls while being walked, the owner should clean up immediately, according to the council.

Councillor Amanda Pinnock says Kirklees Council "shares residents' frustration and encourage anyone that spots dog fouling to report it on the council website".

"To hear of the number of volunteers coming together to clear this mess, it is obvious that Cleckheaton residents take pride in where they live.

"Unfortunately, it is a small number of people that leave the community looking uncared for by neglecting to pick up after their dog."

The boss of anti-littering charity Keep Britain Tidy, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, says their research suggested 89% of people find dog fouling a problem.

"Our view is that dog fouling – whether loose or bagged – is offensive, disgusting and a potential health hazard.

"And with an estimated 13 million dogs in the UK, just a small proportion of people not doing the right thing leads to a deluge of dog waste in the streets and parks."

Back on the path, I meet Paddy Leedale who walks this way a few times a week and describes it as "an oasis".

She volunteers in nearby Judy Woods and believes people leaving dog mess behind in bags is also a problem there.

"The worst thing is when they hang it on trees.

"I think they should be a bit more responsible."

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