If you can't pick up after your dogs then you should be banned from having them say Echo readers in response to report city is a dog fouling hotspot

A report published from freedom of information requests to English councils asking for the number of dog fouling reports in their area revealed between January 1 2020 and December 31 2024 there were 5,056 reports of dog fouling in Sunderland, the second most reports coming behind Chorley Council which received 6,567.

Lou Lloyd said: “I’m not surprised. The amount of dog poo along Seaburn and Roker is awful. It never used to be like this.”

Anth McKenzie said: “Dog owners have a responsibility to dispose of dog waste. They should carry it to a bin or take it home. It is as simple as that.”

Steve Robson added: “I love the way the dog owners are on their phones 10 ft in-front of their defecating animals or the ones that pat their sides looking for the imaginary poo bags until you are out of sight.”

A number of people responding to the story also highlighted the issue of people bagging up their pet’s poo but then discarding the bag.

Robert Usher said: “What's even worse is the people who pick it up and bag it and then throw the bag down.”

Dave Harrison added: “You take your dog home then you should take the poo bag home. Not like some dog owners who hang them up in trees.”

A number of people responding to the story highlighted the issue of dog waste bins being emptied and the need for more bins.

Lisa Perry Hutchinson Hilton said: “Maybe if there were more bins then people would pick it up. It’s getting worse round my way.”

Colin Burdon said: “There’s not enough poo bins and the ones there are, are often overflowing.”

Frank King added: “I walked down to Roker and past thee bins. All were overflowing and had bags on the ground. I am not a dog owner, but surely if bins were emptied more frequently we wouldn’t have this problem.”

Following the report, a spokesperson for Sunderland City Council highlighted the health dangers that dog faeces can pose, with “parasites such as Toxocara canis, which can lead to conditions like toxocariasis, posing particular risk to children and those using public spaces”.

Echo reader John Stoker said: “There are some people who do not realise what diseases dog faeces carry.”

The report was based on the response of 84 English councils.