PEOPLE have been left baffled after flags started appearing in piles of dog mess left abandoned by pet owners.

The small yet remarkably candid flags have started popping up in streets around the Kemp Town area of Brighton.

The markers, which read “selfish git”, seem to be aimed at giving dog walkers a visual reminder to clean up after their pets.

The Argus: The flags "shame" dog owners into clearing up after their dog.The flags "shame" dog owners into clearing up after their dog.

Facebook user Archie Atherton shared photos of the green “poo flags” in St George’s Road, Brighton to the community group Keep Brighton Weird.

In a caption alongside the images, Archie wrote: “There’s a few others scattered around. Maybe it’s like a weird type of orienteering?”

But this is not the first time that disgruntled residents have taken the policing of dog mess into their own hands.

In 2014, Paul Davidson plonked 100 pink flags in abandoned dog waste to highlight the problem in Upper Bedford Street and Upper St James’s Street.

Paul claimed that he was frequently shouted at when he told people to clear up the mess from the grassy area outside Hampshire Court.

In a statement, Brighton and Hove City Council said dog fouling is punishable with a fine of up to £1,000 but that it is “difficult” to catch people in the act.

A spokesman said: “We are aware of the issue and would advise residents who are experiencing a persistent problem in their area to contact the environmental enforcement team, providing as much information as possible about any regular occurrences.

"This will help us to focus our patrols in these areas. We’d also like to remind dog owners to make use of the many available bins in Brighton and Hove.”

Only one person in the city was fined for not clearing up after their dog in the year up to September 2020, compared with 444 people caught littering.