A PAIR of angry-looking eyes are following dog-walkers around the Bradford district, serving as a constant reminder that they must clear up after their pets.

The haunting posters - made from cutting-edge material that 'charges up' during the day to glow at night - have gone up in public places to remind dog-owners that they must pick up after their dogs, even after dark.

Keep Britain Tidy's poster campaign, called We're Watching You, was rolled out this month, with the support of Bradford Council, following a pilot scheme which resulted in dog fouling rates nearly halved in some areas of the UK.

As Councillor Andrew Thornton, Bradford Council’s executive member for the environment, says, dog fouling is perceived by the public to be "by far the most unacceptable and dirtiest type of litter".

Now a group of residents in and around Thornton have become so concerned about the problem that they're urging the community to sign a Green Dog Walkers pledge. The idea is to encourage 'dog champions' who, wearing distinctive armbands and dog lead sleeves, can encourage other dog walkers and wider members of the community to sign up to the pledge tackling dog fouling.

Councillor Richard Dunbar calls the initiative a "friendly and interactive way to change attitudes about dog fouling".

"It's a two-stage process," he said. "Firstly, we want to shift public attitudes so it becomes socially unacceptable to leave dog fouling. The second stage is of course to see a reduction in dog fouling.

"I'm encouraging local people to sign the pledge, as well as writing to schools and speaking to community groups to ensure we rid the village of this problem."

The Green Dog Walkers project was first developed in Scotland, by Falkirk Council, in 2008. Under the scheme, an area co-ordinators' office is provided with a supply of materials, including Pledge leaflets, posters, armbands for adults and children, dog lead sleeves, poo bags and banners.

Working with area co-ordinators, community volunteers carry out grass roots work; signing pledges, running awareness events and information stalls, engaging children in the project and conducting 'fouling surveys' to monitor the impact of the scheme in areas they have targeted.

Community groups that get involved can decide whether to run their own Green Dog Walkers group or just to sign a pledge. Those who agree to co-ordinate a group will be given a small supply of materials to be handed out to volunteers who will have signed a pledge.

Information about each group is fed into a database.

"The community has got to own this issue and have the confidence to tackle it - but in a non-confrontational way," said Coun Dunbar. "This is a friendly scheme, it's something schools can be involved with. Children can carry out dog surveys.

"It's a way of engaging the whole community, so people can become 'dog champions' and really get to grips with this issue. Dog walkers can distribute information to fellow dog walkers when they're out and about.

"We're not out to get everyone, and what we don't want is people in armbands and dog lead sleeves aggressively confronting dog walkers about fouling. It's engaging all members of the community on an issue which people feel strongly about, and it's about the wider issue of education.

"We will measure how effective the scheme is, and it would be great to see it rolled out to other areas of the district."

Thornton resident and parent Carly Drake said: "As a parent of two young children, I think people need to be made aware that when a dog fouls and it is not cleaned up it poses many risks, especially to young children. These include stomach upsets, headaches, abdominal pains and even blindness."

Resident Sarah Nichols added: "No-one likes to see dog mess. Not only does it pose health risks, it also makes our streets look less attractive. I would urge any dog owners in and around Thornton to get behind this scheme so we can keep our area clean and tidy and ultimately take pride in where we live."

* For more information call the Bradford West Area Co-ordinators Office on (01274) 432597.