A CHILDREN’S walking bus scheme could be axed — because the route they take to school is littered with dog dirt.

Organisers of a group which takes about 20 children to Masefield Primary School are calling for immediate action.

The group has collected more than 100 signatures from parents fed up with dog mess close to the school in Masefield Road, Little Lever.

One of the organisers Andrea Brown said: “It’s everywhere. It gets on the children’s shoes and on the bottom of their school trousers.

“If nothing changes, then we will have to stop the walking bus.

“The kids are looking out for it all the time. But they don’t get to see what else is going on around them.

“The whole reason for the walking bus is to get them out and about and enjoying the environment.

“It is just lazy and people shouldn’t have a dog if they aren’t prepared to pick up after them.”

The group, which is supervised by volunteers, walks for about 20 minutes to the school, picking up children along the way.

Youngsters walk along Bradley Lane, Tong Road, Lancaster Drive, Chester Avenue and Durham Close.

Teams of wardens are being trained to patrol Bolton as part of a massive crackdown on dog owners who do not clean up after their pets.

Police community support officers, park rangers and Bolton Council staff are being given the power to hand out on-the-spot fines to offenders.

The council receives more than 500 complaints per year about dog fouling and has promised a zero-tolerance approach.

Anyone caught will be given a £75 fine, which is reduced to £50 if paid within 10 days. Those who fail to pay will have to appear before magistrates and could be fined up to £1,000.

Little Lever councillor Sean Hornby walked with the group yesterday and promised to take their petition to the town hall.

He said: “Bolton Council is making this issue a top priority to get the whole of Bolton cleaned up.

“We have to send a strong message out to the public and carry out a series of enforcements.”

The authority hands out more than one million free poop-scoop bags each year and these will continue to be available from local libraries, park rangers and local housing officers.

steven.thompson@ theboltonnews.co.uk