DOG dirt is "growing on trees" in picturesque Rivington. Furious residents say people visiting the wooded area to walk their dogs are going to the trouble of scooping it into plastic bags - but then throw the bags into nearby trees. Fed-up residents say they are sick of seeing the bags dangling from the branches. And they say that dog owners who believe they are helping by bagging the mess are making the problem worse because they don't get rid of it properly.

They claim it would even be better if they left it where it was in the first place where it would disintegrate naturally.

Left in non-biodegradable bags, the dirt stays around forever.

Disgusting

Julian Hope, who lives near an area which is popular with dog walkers, says he is fed up of seeing the disgusting bags every time he walks out of his front door.

He told the BEN: "I have lived up here for five years and it is the worst I have ever seen it. The owners probably think they are doing us a favour by bagging it, but if they go to the trouble of doing that why can't they dispose of it properly?

"When they put it in bags it can't rot naturally and it would be there forever if it wasn't moved. "

Mr Hope says he has never actually caught anyone throwing the bags but has left notes on windscreens asking owners to be a bit more considerate towards local residents."

He added: "I am getting sick if it. Rivington is a lovely, rural area that is well known for its beauty, but it is being spoilt by plastic bags full of dog mess."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.