DOG owners are being told there is no excuse to not pick up after their pets by residents who have installed bag dispensers using plastic bottles.

A group of friends in Tyldesley want to encourage owners to clean up and give people no reason to flout the law.

Despite the council spending around £150,000 a year on dealing with dog-related complaints, such as dog fouling removal, education and enforcement, problems still persist.

Resident Alison Cottriall and a few friends are behind the scheme after becoming fed up of seeing dog mess on their travels.

She said: “My friends and I were talking about how much of an issue it is, so we decided to try to give dog owners no excuse to leave dog poo.

“It’s really nasty to see and unfair to leave it on the floor, I’m hoping it will make people think twice before they walk off.”

While dog owners are free to take a bag or two from the new dispensers, it’s hoped responsible owners will also add in spare bags and help the refill bottle scheme become sustainable.

Hotspot locations have been targeted with three along Elliott street, one on Tyldesley interchange, the entrance to the park walkway on Shakerley Estate, Ellesmere Street Common and two in Astley Street Park at the top and bottom end.

Leigh Journal:

Alison Cottriall with a dispenser

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Tyldesley councillor Nazia Rehman supports the move and wants to make sure people hear about it.

“It’s a fantastic initiative set up by Alison and friends to tackle this issue of dog mess on our streets,” Cllr Rehman said.

“While the council does always look to educate and enforce when it can, it’s impossible for us to monitor every street, every minute of the day so ideas like this go a massive way to helping.

“It would great to see it become a success and for it to appear in other wards of the borough.”

The resident-led scheme complements the recent responsible dog ownership campaign launched by Wigan Council.

The "Paws and Pick It Up" project is looking to crackdown on the small minority of dog owners who flout the law and spoil public spaces for everyone else.

Since it launched in late January, residents have been able to pick up their own bag dispenser or torch from their local library in a bid to help dog walkers, especially when out at night.

This latest scheme in Tyldesley links strongly to council scheme The Deal, which demonstrates how the local authority and residents can work together to create a better borough.

Pet owners who do not dispose of dog mess in the correct way could receive a fixed penalty notice of £100 which could result in a maximum fine of £1,000 if people are prosecuted or do not pay the initial fine.

Anyone can report dog fouling by logging in and/or registering via the council's MyAccount system and selecting "Report It".