DOG walkers and owners are being urged to clean up after their pets to help keep the community clean as well as avoid health risks.
A large notice has been displayed on the entrance gate to Dawson’s Field in Scouthead to warn about the effects of dog poop, which is a parasite and can blind children.
The notice also asks dog owners to respect people using the field by bagging the mess and taking it home to put in their own bins rather than hanging it in bags on the fence or walls.
There is also a lot of dog poop being left around some of the benches, some bagged and some not.
Cllr Rob Knotts, from the Scouthead and Austerlands community group, said: “Responsible dog walkers are very welcome on Dawson’s Field. Those who are not, we ask that you take your dog and their muck elsewhere. Why should we have to move it for you?
“It is disgrace that a community facility is treated with such disgraceful and irresponsible behaviour by some dog owners.
“It took considerable effort, energy and time to get Dawson’s Field transferred from Oldham Council so it could be used as a park for kids, people to relax and for responsible dog owners to use.
“It is such a shame that some dog owners do not treat it respectfully as a community asset.”
He added that they need to consider other measures to combat dog poop, such as installing wildlife cameras to capture evidence of irresponsible dog owners.
At their most basic level, wildlife cameras are designed to be set up outside to film or photograph animals. They are fitted with motion detectors, allowing them to start filming or photographing as soon as an animal or someone passes by.
The issue of bins for waste has also been raised at various community meetings and they hope to secure a bin at the entrance to Dawson’s Field.
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