Verderers team up with New Forest Dog Owners Group, national park authority and Forestry England to launch new campaign cracking down on dog mess

A major crackdown on dog owners who do not pick up after their pets titled ‘Bag it Bin it’ has been launched in the New Forest.

Verderers have teamed up with the New Forest Dog Owners Group, the New Forest National Park Authority and Forestry England to address the problem, that causes more complaints than any other in the forest.

Despite the fact that offenders can face on the spot fines of £50, or penalties of up to £1,000 if taken to court, some irresponsible dog owners still refuse to clean up after their pets.

Oliver Crosthwaite-Eyre, former chairman of the national park authority, said: “We believe most dog owners are responsible, and part of that is picking up their poo.

“But a lot of owners don’t, and you only have to look around car parks to see the piles of disgusting poo. It’s a health risk; it harms the forest and can affect the enjoyment of many people. The answer is so simple – pick up poo, bag it, and bin it.”

Posters with the slogan are being inastalled in locations where dog owners are likely to see them, including in Forest car parks, vets, and pet shops.

Six thousand poo bags will be made available, while small gifts, suitable for walkers, will be offered to those who are spotted behaving well and picking up after their dogs.

Heather Gould, co-chair of the Dog Owners Group, said: “One of the myths we’d like to dispel is that of the poo fairy.

“Why some people do the right thing and bag their dog’s poo but then hang it in a bush or a tree, is beyond us. Please, bag poo, and take it to a bin, either in a car park or at home where it can go in the general waste.”

The campaign also highlights the fact that dog waste can spread diseases to humans, such as toxicara, which is a roundworm infection.

There is also a potential risk to cattle from Neospora being passed through dog poo to roaming cattle - it can cause cows to abort prematurely.

Funding for the campaign has been provided by the New Forest Trust, the New Forest Association, the verderers, and the Commoners’ Defence Association.

David Bennett, co-chair of NFDOG, said: “We really need to succeed in reducing dog poo, otherwise we’ll need another approach such as legal means to punish those who leave it.

“We love our dogs, but they do bring responsibilities, and if we can persuade those who don’t bag and bin it to adopt the habit the forest would be cleaner, and more welcoming, as well as safer.”