SELFISH dog-owners have been blamed for spoiling lockdown walks by littering the countryside with bags of their pets’ poo.

Ashley Desmond, who lives in Coldean, Brighton, has been shocked by the surge in bagged dog waste she has seen on her daily exercise break in Stanmer Park.

The 39-year-old has seen the offending articles “scattered over the countryside” and hanging from trees “like deranged Christmas decorations”.

She said: “Beautiful walks in Stanmer Park and local areas are a godsend with everything that’s going on right now, but there are poo bags left all over the place.

“I’ve noticed it a lot more since lockdown began.

The Argus:

"I just don’t understand why people leave them hanging from tress. They leave them by the path too.

“I went the other day and there were six poo bags all within a couple of metres.

“Clearly some people will let their dogs do a poo, leave the bags and then collect them later – but most aren’t collected. I’ve seen some that have been trodden in for days.”

Ashley visits the park with her seven-year-old son and walks her friend’s dog there most days. She despairs at people’s lack of “common sense”.

“The logic is bonkers,” she said. “A poo biodegrades in a matter of days and it takes a very long time for a plastic bag to break down. I realise some of these bags are biodegradable but they could still be put in a bin or compost and most of the ones left are just standard plastic.

The Argus:

“And if you’re going to go to the trouble of picking the poo up and putting in it a bag, why not actually dispose of it properly?

“I think people just imagine the dog poo fairies are going to come and clean up their mess. So many people disregard the rules and act like they don’t matter to them. Loads of people agree it’s a problem. It’s an issue all over the country.”

Ashley believes part of the problem a lack of bins.

She said: “I messaged the council and they said they’d try and sort it out. Everyone says the problem is there aren’t enough bins, and it’s not signposted where to put the bags."

Brighton and Hove City Council did not respond to a request for a comment.

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