WARDENS of Poole’s heathland have complained about people leaving dog poo on the ground after new signs to combat the issue were torn down.

Signs lasted less than 24 hours on the beauty spot prompting the wardens to urge people to report dog walkers leaving poo.

A statement from the wardens said: “We continue to have problems with people leaving dog poo on the ground within our heathland reserves.

“To combat this, we recently posted about the new signs we have placed around our sites which tells people to pick up after their dog and shows the locations of dog poo bins on a map, so they know where to dispose of their poo bags.

“However, many of these signs have already been ripped down, with some of them lasting less than 24 hours.

“Do people enjoy treading in dog poo? Take pleasure in others walking on the poo their dog leaves and having their nature reserves and greenspaces completely saturated in it?”

The wardens said the idea of taking dogs onto heathlands around the world would be “laughed at”, but Poole welcomes dog owners.

They added: “Many of whom are responsible dog owners who pick up after their dog, keep them under control and don’t allow them to tear through the heather, disturbing the wildlife that helps us retain our SSSI designation, restricting development plans on the site.

“And yet, The idea that we would even dare ask people to pick up after their dog and show on a map where their nearest dog waste bin is, is enough to make them upset enough to tear down the signs, stopping others from receiving the information.

“If you spot someone not picking up after their dog or ripping down one of our signs, please report it to us at heathwardens@bcpcouncil.gov.uk with as much detail on the dog and owner as possible.

“If you feel safe to do so, also attach a photo so we can start to gauge who, when and where these people are doing their dirty business.

“Please remember that not cleaning up after your dog is an offence under The Clean Neighbourhoods And Environment Act 2005 and The Fouling Of Land By Dogs Order 2006.”

BCP Council was approached for a comment.