DOG-OWNERS, who take their mutts for walkies on West Wickham Football Club's training ground are making the club's owners howl with despair.

According to Leroy Muldoon, a coach at the club, 30 to 40 dogs a day come to the ground doing their doggy business and creating a health hazard for the many youth teams which train there.

Mr Muldoon said: "Dog owners actually drive up here and park in our car park, to take their dogs for a walk.

"This is private land, but we don't want to stop people walking their dogs - we just want them to clear up the mess they make."

The football club has installed bins for people to put the dog mess into, and it has put up signs.

But Mr Muldoon says that the bins and signs were soon vandalised.

He said: "Short of putting up fences, which would cost £200,000, there's nothing we can do.

"We can take dog-owners to court for trespass, but that's very expensive and it doesn't work anyway."

Contact with dog faeces can occasionally lead to the infection toxicaracanis, which can lead to eye problems and blindness.

Dr Angela Bahn, of Bromley Health Authority, said: "This infection can have very serious consequences, which is why we are particularly concerned that young children do not play in areas where dogs have defecated."

According to Pat Ellender, environmental promotions co-ordinator at Bromley Council, there needs to be a fundamental change of attitude to dog-fouling on the part of dog-owners.

She said: "There's a simple solution to these problems. Wherever your dog goes, just pick up its mess. It really comes down to the owner."

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