Northamptonshire football club complains about 'despicable' dog owners not picking up pet's mess on pitch

A Northamptonshire football club has criticised 'despicable' dog owners who do not pick up their pet's poo on its pitch as training for the new season gets underway.

Weedon Football Club took to Facebook to complain about the issue at Jubilee Field, with a seven-year-old player getting excrement on his brand new boots.

Club secretary Danny Chapman told this newspaper it is a common problem and is more than just an eye - and nose - sore but also has health and safety repercussions.

"It's always a problem with big pitches to be honest, there's always dog faeces we have to clear up before games," he said.

"It's quite a major issue but no one seems to care about it at the moment but hopefully we can get it sorted.

"It can cause blindness, it can make people properly sick if they slide in it so it's more of a health and safety than aesthetic issue."

Weedon FC wrote on Facebook that the dog owners have been 'making the most' of the long grass on the football pitch as it has not been cut during the summer.

But with training starting again ahead of the new season, more and more dog mess has been found, with some even left while a session was ongoing.

"Obviously we are delighted to be back playing but it’s not great news for the despicable dog owners who have been making the most of the long grass to hide their dogs faeces, in order to save picking it up," the club wrote on Wednesday (August 11).

"Before the under-13s' training on Friday the pitch was inspected by the coaches prior to putting the kit and goals out, then as we commenced the match we notice a fresh pile that had been left after we set the kit out."

The club went on to suggest it knew who the culprit was and expressed the extent of its anger over the situation, adding: "Seven-year-old children having to deal with this is unfair. Pick your dog mess up please."