The shocking picture that shames Sheffield’s irresponsible dog owners

Star readers have expressed their disgust after we revealed how some dog walkers are bagging their pet’s mess and then flinging it into trees.

Figures showed how more than 400 complaints were made to Sheffield City Council about dog fouling in 2018.

The most reports were made in the S6 area – which includes Walkley, Hillsborough and Upperthorpe – with 66 complaints.

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The Sheffield Litter Pickers group, whose members spend their free time helping to keep the city streets clean, highlighted how some dog walkers have an unsavoury habit of bagging their dog’s mess and then flinging it into trees.

They had to clear away about 30 bags of dog mess during a litter pick in Meersbrook in January and released a picture showing several of the bags hanging from a tree.

A number of readers have now taken to Facebook to condemn the disgusting act.

Nicky Leggitt said: “Just carry it until you get to a bin, its not hard, or home if needs be.”

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Andy Staves posted: “It's not like there aren't enough bins. I carry mine until I find one or arrange my walk so I pass them.”

Wayne Darwent added: “Always hate seeing this, it’s disgusting and there’s no excuse. Your not a responsible dog owner if you do this.”

Failing to clean up immediately after your dog in public is a crime and can land owners a £50 on-the-spot penalty or see them prosecuted and fined up to £1000. While the council has not increased the number of dog waste bins, they have installed more signs. In addition, 60 warning letters were sent to dog walkers last year.

Councillor Lewis Dagnall, cabinet member for environment and streetscene at the council, said: “To avoid leaving mess that spoils our streets and detracts from our brilliant green spaces, we'd ask people to take responsibility and use bags or scoops, putting the waste in the bins provided or in their own bins at home.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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