DOG-DIRT bins at Ilkley's Riverside Gardens are overflowing as bans on moor walking have forced pet-owners to find a new route.

Fears that dog-dirt would increase in the town as Ilkley Moor is off limits due to the foot and mouth crisis have been confirmed.

The park has become a magnet for dog-walkers seeking an alternative to their usual run.

Dog-dirt bins, provided by Bradford City Council, are full to the brim with carrier bags.

Karen Croft, 31, of Addingham Moorside, said she had been forced to make an irregular visit to the park with her dog, Lotty.

The chartered surveyor said: "We live on the moor but we are keeping off because of the foot and mouth disease. The bins are very full. The council could not really have foreseen the extra demand. I have a bag with me and will take mine home just to get rid of it. I did not want to cram it in the bin."

Fellow dog-walker Margaret Hainsworth, of Victoria Avenue, said she too was visiting the park as the moor was out of bounds.

The pensioner said: "More often than not I go to the moor. Sometimes I come here. I have noticed there are a lot of other dog-owners here.

"Often the bins are full. It is horrible if you are trying and you can't get your bag in. The smell is disgusting."

Monica Little, 58, of Bridge Lane, who uses the gardens daily with her dog Sasha, said she too had noticed a vast increase in dog-walkers.

She said she feared the situation would worsen if the crisis continues into warmer weather.

She added: "Sometimes people use those bins for ordinary litter. I have seen them doing it."

Lexa Robinson, chairman of Ilkley Parish Council, said: "People are responsible for cleaning up the mess and disposing of it.

"I know the bins are full but there are no bins on the moor what do people do then? People should take it home."

The councillor added that she had heard reports of people throwing bags containing mess along the bank, which could have found their way into the river.

She added: "It is not fair on the children and mothers with

children."

A spokeswoman for Bradford Council said the cleansing department were aware of the increased use of the bins and would be making more frequent trips to empty them.