YOUNG footballers have slammed dog owners who let their pets muck up their pitch.

The Queen Bees under-11 team has been faced with dog mess on Bridport’s St Mary’s Playing Fields which has to be cleared up before they can play.

Manager Richard Northover urged pet owners to take more responsibility and warned that leaving dog mess could have serious consequences.

He said: “I am disgusted at the amount of dog faeces on the pitches every week.

“This week I had to clear up 11 pieces before I could let them on the pitch to play. Dog walkers should take more responsibility.”

He added: “Dog faeces can carry toxocara canis worm which can cause blindness and spread to other parts of the body causing fits and stomach pains.”

The dogs’ mess issue has also been raised in Dorchester by town councillor David Taylor.

He temporarily lost his sight when he contracted an infection related to exposure to animal faeces aged 20 and now only has limited vision in his right eye.

West Dorset District Council said complaint numbers were up.

Leader Robert Gould said: “In the last six weeks we have received 39 complaints about dog fouling compared to 33 during the same period last year.

“We take complaints seriously and target our dog warden patrols in areas that local people are concerned about.”