A NORTHWICH beauty spot has been chosen as part of a campaign to help keep public spaces clear of dog poo.

The Dogs Trust has extended its 'Walk This Way' programme after polling 2,000 owners and finding one in 10 admit leaving behind dog waste bags on their walks.

Now Northwich Flashes has become one of 12 new sites which will put up signage offering advice to dog walkers.

In its poll, the Trust, which is Britain's largest canine charity, found 13 per cent of owners admitted leaving behind bagged dog mess, either accidentally or deliberately.

Of these, 54 per cent had done so because there were no bins nearby. Other reasons given were forgetting to collect poo bags on the way back, bins being full and not wanting to carry them around.

As part of the campaign, the chosen sites will feature colour-coded routes which clearly mark the length of the walk and direct walkers to the nearest bins to dispose of their dogs’ waste, as well as some new bins.

The campaign started at the beginning of June and the bins and signage will be in place until November.

Cheshire West and Chester Council's deputy leader and cabinet member for environment, highways and strategic transport, Cllr Karen Shore, said: “I am delighted one of our wonderful green spaces has been selected to be part of this national campaign. 

“I’m excited by the potential of our new ‘Walk This Way’ routes at Northwich Flashes and can’t wait to see the improvements it will make.

"Hopefully it will be a long-term change to the area and make the space more enjoyable for everyone.”

Michelle Moat, community education and engagement officer at Dogs Trust, said: “Walking a dog is a wonderful past time with many health benefits for both owner and pooch.

"However, part of being a responsible dog owner is ensuring you pick up after your dog and suitably dispose of the waste.

“Previous interventions have shown that by having more bins available, clearer signposting and messaging that ‘Any Bin Will Do’ has dramatically improved the surrounding areas.”

The 'Walk This Way' programme works in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy.

Keep Britain Tidy litter and place services manager, Rachel Scarisbrick, said: “We have already seen that Walk This Way has reduced the amount of waste left behind by dog owners and we hope that this success can continue in even more sites this year.”

Walk This Way previously ran in 2017 (with six sites) and again in 2018 (with 15 sites), encouraging owners to correctly deposit their dog’s waste in any general waste bin.

This intervention successfully reduced fouling instances by 38 per cent and 40 per cent respectively.