A dog walker has hit out at irresponsible owners over the amount of dog dirt left on pavements and in parks in Holmfirth.
The woman, who asked not to be named, said Netherton is also an area which is suffering from the same problem.
She said: “I have dogs which I take walking into Holmfirth centre and to the Sands in Holmfirth and the amount of dog excrement I come across is quite alarming. Binns Lane which is a very expensive road to live in has quite a lot too.
“I always go prepared with my poop bags and pick up any faeces my dogs leave.
“People may not realise that they can be fined for not picking up their dogs’ mess and then there are the health hazards such as the danger of Toxocariasis in humans.
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“Down at the Sands recreation ground in Holmfirth children play football and play at the skate park and I have noticed by one of the trees opposite Lidl that there were four black plastics poop bags left there. What is the point in picking it up just to discard the bag?
“In Holmfirth by the Co-op there is a green box holding dog poop bags which is always full yet just on the ground by this green box is dog poop. I just can’t believe it.”
She added that Nether Houses in Upperthong is also plagued by dog fouling, along with Upperthong Lane.
And she said she was going down Dunford Road last Friday and there was a young girl with a dog in front of her.
She said: “She was 30 yards in front of me and the dog crouched down on the pavement wanting to do its business and she just pulled it, hence about four pieces of faeces were left on the pavement. She never blinked an eyelid and off she went.”
A council spokesperson said: “In the last 12 months the council has received 472 specific reports about dog fouling (where details of the dog’s owner or of times when this was occurring are given). Of these 20 were in Holmfirth and seven in Netherton. No fines have been issued in these areas.
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“If we receive sufficient information we will contact the dog owner and advise them of the legal requirement to clean up after their dog. When someone reports dog fouling already on the pavement it is passed to the mobile street cleaning teams to clear as part of their day-to-day duties.”
Toxocariasis factfile
It is a rare infection caused by roundworm parasites and is spread from animals to humans through contact with infected faeces.
Roundworm parasites are most commonly found in cats, dogs and foxes, and usually affect young children.
This is because children are more likely to come into contact with contaminated soil when they play and put their hands in their mouths.
Mild symptoms are a cough, headaches and stomach pain.
In rare cases the roundworm larvae infect organs such as the liver, lungs, eyes or brain and cause severe symptoms such as seizures, skin rashes, weight loss, blurred or cloudy vision usually only affecting one eye.
