Robin Evans on crap

BRITISH Waterways' Robin Evans has joined the campaign to stop people littering the waterways  with bags of dog crap.

The branches of the hedges of the canal towpaths are becoming littered with  plastic bags filled with their pets' poo. These smelly non biodegradable eyesores have become a common sight across the waterways.

Robin Evans comments:

"It is great that people are picking up after their pet, but why put something that is biodegradable into a bag that isn't and then chuck it into the nearest hedge. It just doesn't make sense. Our message is simple, if you're a dog owner visiting a canal or the countryside in general, clear up after your pet and then dispose of the bag properly."

To highlight the issue, British Waterways is taking a stand and, together with the Upper Calder Valley Renaissance group, has today dressed a canal-side tree on the Rochdale Canal with filled plastic bags inspired by the real problem.

Louise Harrison, Project Coordinator for Upper Calder Valley Renaissance, remarks:

"We are pleased to support British Waterways in their appeal to dog owners across the country. Here in the Calder Valley we have some of the nation's most beautiful countryside and it is barking mad that people insist on spoiling it in this way.

"Hopefully the shocking sight of a beautiful tree entirely decorated with bags of poo will remind pet owners just how silly it is to discard of their dogs' mess in this way."

British Waterways gives the information:

• There are more than seven million dogs in the UK.
• Dog walkers make 75 million visits to British Waterways' canals and rivers each year making up 22% of all visits to canals.
• Dog faeces normally take weeks to biodegrade, but plastic bags are estimated to take 500 years