A SPORTS coach is calling on the council to have dog wardens patrolling to prevent the amount of dog mess being left on a playing field.

Russ Bury, head coach of Lancashire bombers American football club and director and head coach at Tempest Training athlete development in Oswaldtwistle, is unable to train with his teams at the Harvey Street fields due to the amount of excrement being left behind by lazy dog owners.

The sports coach from Oswaldtwistle said he has already complained to the council and had talks with MP Sara Britcliffe, who has tried to get dog wardens and signposts put up at the field, yet nothing has happened.

Mr Bury said: “On the sports playing fields there is lots of dog poo everywhere and we have seen people let their dogs out and poo without picking up after them.

“In the last few weeks we have had three incidents and players have ended up covered in it.

“We have also had kids being attacked by some dogs not on leashes.

“It is just getting beyond a joke.”

Despite raising the issue, Mr Bury has not received any indication of what is going to happen.

He said: “Some of the dog walkers also get quite abusive so the fields need fencing off and signposting. The council need to do something about it.

“You can’t even walk two metres without stepping in it, it’s a minefield.”

“The dog walkers drive up here, park their cars, then let their dogs go and poo everywhere.

“We had a dog pee on a boy’s hoodie, and the owner did nothing about it.”

Hyndburn Council conducted a survey in 2018 which asked residents and sports teams whether a Public Space Protection Order should be made on sports pitches, barring dogs.

A spokesman for Hyndburn Council said: “Eight responses were received from residents, all of which objected to the proposal to exclude dogs from designated areas of council owned sports pitches.”

Out of 339 people, just 133 said they would support the exclusion of dogs from sports pitches, while 206 said they would prefer the pitches to be available for all to use.

Mr Bury said: “There is nowhere else in Oswaldtwistle for sports teams and children to play and this is the one place we had that is being ruined.

“We are fed up of it."