The worst streets for dog fouling in County Durham and Darlington have been noted after readers were asked about the 'hotspots' for dog poo in the region. 

While the general issue across the UK has become a tough one to tackle, with dedicated teams tackling dog fouling for individual councils - it also seems to be a big problem in County Durham and Darlington. 

A recent survey revealed that 55 per cent of people see dog poo on the street in their local area ‘often’, while Google searches for ‘reporting dog fouling’ have increased 140 per cent in the last 90 days alone.

Dog poo bags ditched in SeahamDog poo bags ditched in Seaham (Image: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL)

In the North East, North Tyneside Council topped the charts with 657 complaints in 2023/2024, while Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council came in second (354 complaints) and Redcar and Cleveland (218) came in third.

Overall, North Tyneside has had over 1400 complaints between 2022 and 2024.

Off the back of this survey, we asked our readers the worst streets in Darlington and County Durham for dog poo - and they delivered in nothing down numerous streets. 

A local dog owner expressed his frustration about the situation, saying: "I think for me it’s going down to the beach.

Parts of Yarm Road were noted as bad for dog foulingParts of Yarm Road were noted as bad for dog fouling (Image: GOOGLE MAPS)

"A lot of people with dogs don’t bother to pick up their poo. I pick it up using the poo bags and then put it in the poo bin".

Paul Stokes, a resident of Neasham Road, Darlington, also expressed his frustration at the lack of proper disposal facilities in the area.

He said: "The poo bins/general bins around here, Geneva Road, and Yarm Road are ridiculous, there's not enough".

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Paul Marshall, a resident, angrily pointed out: "Every bridleway and cycle path around the area, people are leaving it on the track or worse still picking it up then launching it into the trees leaving it like Christmas decorations hanging there."

Even though these areas receive the most criticism, the problem is widespread with comments pointing to dog fouling in Firthmoor, Barnard Castle, and Haughton amongst others.

Unsurprisingly, the main culprit behind this public nuisance is irresponsible dog owners, according to people commenting. 

Members of the public have voiced their anger and disgust at dog owners who fail to clean up after their pets.