DOG poo is turning a Christchurch beauty spot blue as countryside custodians highlight the mounting menace of mucky mutt mess.

Wardens have been spray painting droppings among the heather at St Catherine's Hill as part of a national English Nature initiative to check the unpleasant, unsightly and unhealthy problem of pet waste on the country's precious heathland areas.

The work has been carried out by the Urban Heath Partnership using a special non-toxic and biodegradable dye to mark the mess, allowing wardens to assess the scale and location of the problem - and helping walkers to avoid putting their feet in it.

Senior warden Graeme Shimmin said the project was being undertaken at St Catherine's Hill and other heathland areas in south-east Dorset to help English Nature gather data on the extent of dog fouling and its impact on the sensitive ecology.

He explained that faeces leached fertilising nutrients into the poor heathland soil, allowing plants to grow which would not naturally occur there. And the dog mess presented health and safety concerns for human visitors, particularly children.

"We are still gathering the data, but there is a huge amount of mess out there. It is not nice and it could be a major problem," he said.

Mr Shimmin said the highly visible spraying had helped the public to appreciate the scale of problem and most people had responded positively to the campaign.

St Catherine's Hill, designated as a nature reserve and site of special scientific interest for its heathland habitat and rare reptile species it supports, is a popular spot for dog walkers and wardens have given out leaflets and disposable bags for owners to pick up after their pets.

Mr Shimmin said: "Some of the sites have bylaws and people could be prosecuted if they don't pick up, but we prefer to do it through education.

"Most dog walkers do understand the problem and will pick up. We are just trying to make the heaths more enjoyable for everyone."

First published: October 21