DOG mess bins overflowing near a children’s play area - pictured by the Echo earlier this week - had not been emptied since before Christmas, according to one concerned dog walker.

The Broadstone resident, who walks his pet on Broadstone Recreation Ground daily, said bins were full and bags of dog mess had been left across the path, close to where children come to play.

“They’ve been overflowing since Christmas,” he told the Echo. “You can imagine how it is now – bags everywhere.

“It’s emptied weekly normally.” Once again the problem has been put down to the weather conditions before Christmas – when refuse and recycling collections were cancelled for four days and then a week-long break for the festive period followed.

It meant staff who normally empty dog mess bins were called away to help collect additional rubbish bags that built up in the weeks between collections.

Cllr Don Collier, cabinet portfolio holder for the environment, Borough of Poole, said: “The majority of our cleansing operatives were redeployed last week to assist in collecting outstanding refuse and recycling from the Christmas and severe weather periods of non-collection.

“The bins at Broadstone Recreation Ground were scheduled for collection on Monday and have now all been emptied. We apologise to residents for any inconvenience caused.”

Liberal Democrat ward councillor Mike Brooke told the Echo the problem of overflowing dog mess bins was something he received complaints about regularly.

“We have raised it several times with the officers who say they will look into it, and for a short time the problem seems to get resolved, but then seems to reappear again.”