More than half of local authorities have seen an increase in the amount of dog fouling since the start of 2021, a survey has revealed today.
Research by Keep Britain Tidy has found the lock-down 'puppy boom' has led to councils spending more time and money dealing with dog mess.
Of those surveyed, more than half have seen an increase in both unbagged dog poo left on the ground and bagged dog poo ‘carefully’ placed in parks.
Half of councils said they are having to empty bins more frequently, while more than a quarter (27%) are having to do more frequent litter-picking and cleansing.
Allison Ogden-Newton, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: 'In our new research with YouGov we also asked parents of children aged four to 11 in London what would put them off taking their children to the park and almost half of them (46%) mentioned dog poo as a problem, at the same time as they told us that a visit to the park made their children happier (82%) and that it was a highlight of their day (59%).
'The region’s wonderful parks and green spaces should be a safe space for everyone to enjoy – places we can all love - so it’s absolutely vital that dog owners in the region are responsible and bag their dog’s poo and bin it.'
The charity estimates that in London alone, around 114 tonnes of dog poo is deposited in parks and green spaces every day - equivalent to almost nine bin lorries.
