A concerned Oldham resident said he cleaned up a whopping five pounds of dog excrement from a children's playing field at the weekend while others said the field is often 'caked in poo'.

Pete Connolly was alarmed when early on Sunday (January 21) he had to clear away "not a 5lb bag of spuds, but at least 5lbs of dog poo" from a football field in Chadderton.

He collected the large load from just one pitch on Granby Street fields - and had to remove it all before a children's football match could safely take place.

Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to The Oldham Times’ morning and evening newsletters as well as our breaking news alerts 

The committee member at Chadderton FC Juniors, who organises 20 boys and girls football teams for more than 300 local children, said he has become frustrated with irresponsible dog owners - and that clearing up dog mess has become a regular occurrence.

Mr Connolly explained: "This is a problem on all green spaces with council football pitches, not just Granby Street.

"It’s a regular occurrence and pre-match job for all our team coaches to make playing areas safe, especially on Saturdays when there has been a build-up during the week.

"Due to the weather and a postponement on Saturday, I got the dubious pleasure of collecting the 'deposits' on Sunday.

"I think the photo has emphasised the extent of the problem as this was collected from one pitch alone. There must have been more than 20 separate 'piles'."

The Oldham Times: He estimated the bag of dog poo weighed around 5lbsHe estimated the bag of dog poo weighed around 5lbs (Image: Pete Connolly)

Mr Connolly, who also manages one of the four teams that use the fields, said the football pitch is used by both girls and boys every weekend, aged between 13 and 15, and stressed the foul mess poses a serious health hazard to children.

He said the youngsters could end up in hospital because of some dog owners' "laziness".

He continued: "The signs highlight the £1,000 fine for not cleaning up after your pet and this is justified because of the danger of toxocariasis – a nasty infection that can lead to dizziness, nausea, asthma and even blindness or seizures.

"What is it about the filthy toss pots who don't clear up after their pet?

"Some dog owners are just inconsiderate and lazy.

"It’s a shame as it’s only a minority that spoil things.

"I unfortunately now find myself suspicious of any dog walker on the fields as they all get tarred with the same brush, which isn’t a nice thing when you get the occasional 'good morning' from walkers and I respond with a reluctant grunt whilst carrying a bag of dog poo."

The frequent problem has prompted the junior football coach to contact the council and he said Councillor Colin McLaren has been "proactive" in arranging signage and bins to be installed.

"However," he continued, "you can lead a horse to water but can't make it drink.

"There has been a proposal to build changing rooms on Granby Street, but I’m not convinced of their usefulness as teams turn up ready to play and isolated buildings just become a target for vandalism.

"Maybe CCTV would be a more cost-effective and useful addition to the fields.

"With a £1,000 fine and with the amount of dog poo currently left, it would soon cover the costs if owners were traced.

"A lot of residents are also rightly annoyed by the amount of litter left by football teams after matches, particularly plastic water bottles.

"Again, Cllr McLaren has tried to be proactive and invited all clubs who hire a council pitch to a meeting to discuss the problem.

"But only one club, Chadderton FC, via myself, turned up at that meeting.

"We as a club try to be proactive and encourage our coaches, players and parents to pick up their litter after their game, but litter is not just limited to football, it’s a society problem, especially during the summer when if you go on any green space you will find bottles, beer cans, food wrappers, disposable barbecues and other unmentionables left behind by irresponsible people.

"It’s not just a football problem."

Mr Connolly said he believes the field has become "one of the worst areas" for dog fouling as it's "out of the way".

Reacting to his post on social media, other residents agreed and called the problem "disgusting" and "totally irresponsible" of pet owners.

One commenter pointed out that faeces can cause blindness in children while another said he isn't surprised by the sheer amount.

He added: "Wherever you go now, you see it. Left by the owners."

Another local mother who said she used to teach her daughter how to ride a bike and play netball using the court said she has since stopped taking her "because of poo and smashed glass bottles".

The neighbour, who wished to be anonymous, continued: "There is dog poo everywhere.

"I used to take my little girl down to bike on the grass but it's caked in poo and she fell off and landed in some.

"It was disgusting!

"There's also smashed bottles all over the car park and on the netball court.

"It's too dangerous for children."

Councillor Chris Goodwin, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “No one wants to see dog poo left anywhere, especially not on a playing field.

“It’s unsightly and a health hazard – and unfortunately our staff and residents are the ones who have to pick it up.

“If you’re not prepared to pick up your dog’s waste, then you need to ask yourself if you really should have one?

“If everyone took waste bags out with them, cleaned up after their pets and then disposed of it properly there wouldn’t be an issue.

“And when we say disposed of it properly, we don’t mean leaving the bag on a tree or thrown in a bush.

“We only have a small number of officers and they can’t be everywhere at once so we need residents to help us keep the borough clean.

“Two years ago we launched Don’t Trash Oldham to tackle blight across the borough.

"As part of that campaign local councillors have recently installed #LoveChadderton signage to remind users that fly tipping, littering and dog fouling are not permitted.

“If you see someone who isn’t cleaning up after their dog then report it to us via our website. If there is sufficient evidence we’ll take action and the owner could be fined up to £1,000.”

If you have a story, I cover all things Oldham from food reviews and local business news to music and events, pubs, education, crime, property, health, community concerns and much more. Please email me at Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge with your news.