The Big Scoop cleans up dog mess

Richard and Annabel want to keep parks across the county tidy

BBC Radio Northampton drive time presenters Richard Savage and Annabel Amos are waging war on dog mess with their campaign The Big Scoop.

They have created five thousand biodegradable poop scoop bags bearing their faces - and they want you to use them.

They will be identifying the dog poo hotspots around the county.

Bags will be handed out to encourage owners to get the message and clean up after their dogs.

"Have you ever got home and wondered what that disgusting smell is, only to realise you've got poo all over your flip flop? Well we have, countless times - and who hasn't? It's a modern day curse in town and country.

"Who's to blame? Lazy dog owners who don't bother to scoop their pooch's poop," says Annabel Amos, who is perturbed by poo.

Toxocariasis

In 2008 the UK dog population was estimated to be 7.3 million, with dogs producing approximately 1,000 tonnes of poo each day.

In a recent survey of over 19,000 sites dog fouling was present in more than 7% of these sites.

Some dog owners still fail to clean up after their dogs and the highest level of dog fouling can be found in areas where people actually live.

The drive time presenters are trying to highlight the problem as not only is it irresponsible but also dangerous.

Toxocariasis is an infection of the roundworm toxocara canis which can be found in eggs of a parasite through soil contaminated with faeces.

Infected soil samples are often found in play areas and, as a result Toxocariasis most commonly affects children between 18 months and five years.

The campaign launches on Monday 24th August. For more information tune into Richard and Annabel on drive time weekdays 4pm - 6pm on BBC Radio Northampton 104.2 and 103.6FM