IRRESPONSIBLE dog owners will be urged to quite literally clean up their act during a special event in Worcester’s Gheluvelt Park.

Park warden Michelle Newell will be one of many officials collecting and weighing the park’s uncollected dog poo during the Bark in the Park event, which will be held on Saturday.

“We will be putting these red flags in the dog poo we find in the park,” she said.

“The idea is to raise awareness that there are people who are not picking up after their dog.

“We will ask people if they can help us clear it up and then we will weigh it all. It’s just one or two people who are not picking up.

“If we come across them we will offer them a poo bag to do so.

“A lot of the time dog owners say it gives them a bad name.”

Mrs Newell said her team noticed a problem in the park over the winter as people can’t always see that their dog has gone to the toilet.

“When you have a green space, where children come to play, it can really ruin your time there if you tread in dog mess.

“I think that when another member of the public is telling you to do something about it, it sometimes shames them into embarrassment.

“We are not in the park 24/7 so it is vital that we have eyes and ears here at all times.”

Worcester dog warden Pip Singleton said she appreciated picking up after pooches was nasty and dirty, but said it had to be done.

“Nobody likes doing it, but it’s the responsible thing to do,” she said.

Bark in the Park will run from 10am to 3pm.

Attractions on offer include a dog show and ‘musical sit’ competition, while organisers are hoping to arrange a talk on dog obedience for the owners who attend.

  • Look out for your Worcester News next week when we will be highlighting the problem of dog mess in the city.