DOGS could soon be banned from a popular walking spot because irresponsible pet owners are ignoring signs asking them to clear up after their animals.

Acomb Parish Council is considering prohibiting dogs from the village’s playing field, after growing frustrated with the high level of dog muck scattered across the area.

The playing fields in Acomb are well used by the community and, in addition to being frequented by dog walkers, the area includes a football pitch, a children’s play area, a zipwire and tennis courts, which may soon be replaced by a multi-use games area and make the footfall even greater.

But the site has been blighted by dog dirt over the years, forcing the parish council to erect signs asking owners to keep dogs on a lead and to tidy up after their pets.

However, the parish council said the signs were constantly being ignored, which had caused anger among local councillors and members of the community.

Parish council chairman Norman Robson said: “We have signs at the playing field telling people to bag it and bin it, but they don’t seem to be making any difference.

“Whilst most dog owners act responsibly by collecting and binning any contributions left by their pets, there are still too many who leave pet deposits on the playing field for other people to tread in.

“At a recent litter pick, there was a lot of items the volunteers weren’t prepared to pick up.

“We don’t want to do this but the parish council is now, reluctantly, considering banning dogs from the playing field altogether, in order to resolve this problem. I don’t know how we would enforce it, but that would be a slightly different issue.”