Walkers shocked by dog waste bags littering Shireoaks canal towpath

Health worker Sue Oliver was visiting Bassetlaw Hospital and stopped off to visit a friend near Shireoaks.

As they set out walking a dog along the Chesterfield Canal, Sue was horrified by what they encountered.

She said: “Someone had kindly provided dog poo bags and a bin, so I was shocked that 300 metres further on I was faced with a field of dog muck all bagged and casually tossed around. What are people thinking?”

While enquiries are under way to establish who is responsible for the land, and therefore clearing the mess, Councillor Julie Leigh, council cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said she was appalled to receive photographs which Sue took at the scene.

Coun Leigh said: “I find it shocking someone would take the time to bag up dog poo, but then throw it in a hedge, because they could not be bothered to carry it to the nearest bin.

“There are a number of bins close to this route, so there is no excuse why irresponsible dog owners should not dispose of their waste correctly.”