A stroll through the Garden of England should be a joy but anyone who has traversed Kent’s parks or green spaces recently is likely to have met an unpleasant sight - or even smell.

Dog muck neatly bagged and then hung off a tree branch or bush has got the blood boiling of many a county rambler fed up with such selfish acts.

And while dogs pooing in parks is nothing new, the sight of poo bags adorning foliage, or being piled on bin lads has become much more common in recent years.

According to Keep Britain Tidy, there is heightened fear of touching mucky bins since the pandemic coupled with a boom of people buying puppies in lockdown, adding to an increase in deposits overall.

The environmental charity estimates 1,000 tonnes of such waste is left each day.

A lack of - and increasingly uncollected - bins is often blamed for the tree “decorations” but Kent campaigners and councillors argue it’s not just the council’s job and personal responsibility and enforcement - including fines and more radical solutions involving “dog DNA” - are key to clearing up this mess.

Anna, from Chatham who doesn’t own a dog but walks regularly says the sight of a poo “neatly bagged and then hung on a bush really gets my blood boiling”.

Likewise Kris, a dog walker from Longfield, was similarly annoyed and perplexed but felt it was likely due to carelessness.

“They probably plan to collect the bag on the way back from the walk but forget,” he said.

“I don’t think anyone would waste a bag just to leave it.”

But others aren’t convinced.

Leonie Baker, a Keep Britain Tidy Litter Heroes ambassador who goes litter picking with her dogs around Tunbridge Wells, says she picks up around 50 discarded bags of dog waste every week

She also raised concerns about biodegradable products, which many people use and assume are safe to leave behind.

“Some people think buying biodegradable poo bags makes it okay to leave them, but they don’t realise those only break down in industrial composters - not in hedges or trees,” she said.

Research supports that warning.

A standard plastic poo bag can potentially take up to 500 years to decompose.

‘Eco-friendly’ alternatives aren’t always much better and need specific heat, moisture, and oxygen levels found only in industrial composters. Even then, they may take three to six months to break down.

Left in a hedge or tied to a tree, they may last just as long as regular plastic.

Some blame the current sticky situation on a lack of bins, or overflowing refuse in some areas.

But Leonie doesn't agree it’s simply the council’s job as some often remark, adding: “I believe people should take responsibility for their own dog’s poop”.

Laura Edie, a Green Party councillor based in Newtown, Dartford agrees but says she’s still happy to hear from residents in her ward who think more bins are still needed.

“People need the opportunity to do the right thing,” she said. “If there’s somewhere that needs a bin, I’ll speak to the council.”

But even if more places were provided to discard dog waste she admitted enforcement remains a challenge.

“You have to catch the person in the act, and that’s not easy,” she explains.

“That’s why community groups like Neighbourhood Watch can help. If someone sees it happen and passes on a time or description, that’s really useful.”

Cllr Edie added: "I know it seems a bit like a nosey neighbour but actually we have people coming together to help resolve those little things.

“Sometimes we’re missing that a bit in the modern age.”

And of course there is the long-term problem of dog poo which simply hasn’t been bagged at all.

Cllr Edie says she was walking through her ward with a blind friend recently when they came across a pile of dog mess in the middle of the pavement.

“It’s really unpleasant to have dog waste lying on the ground,” she said. “And it’s even worse for people with disabilities.

“It’s such a selfish thing not to pick up after your dog.”

The environmental campaigner decided to take action and began putting up simple bag dispensers made of plastic bottles, each with a small sign attached.

She also asked Dartford council to install official signage warning that dog fouling carries a £100 fine — or up to £1,000 if taken to court.

The law states that being unaware a dog has fouled, or not having a suitable bag, is not a reasonable excuse.

It should also be noted that dog walkers who choose to “decorate” trees with bags filled with their pooches’ poo may avoid falling foul of by-laws.

In Kent, leaving a bag behind - also those neatly tied to a branch - can result in a £100 fine, rising to £500 in areas such as Medway and Maidstone.

“I’m trying to be positive,” adds Cllr Edie. “If someone forgets a bag, they can help themselves.

“But the signs are a visual reminder. Maybe someone thinks twice before letting the dog foul on a pavement and walking away from it.”

Despite the unpleasant increase in poop Cllr Edie believes most dog owners do the right thing.

“It’s just the odd few who let everyone down,” she added.

In neighbouring Gravesend, Mericia, a local resident, is very angry the waste is left behind regularly.

“When we go walking, there is always dog poops,” she said. “People don’t have respect for others. They just leave it.”

Her neighbour Kornelia added: “It’s like an obstacle course or minefield. You have to watch every step.”

People don’t have respect for others. They just leave it

But dog waste poses more than just an inconvenience.

Experts in the field warn it’s a growing public health risk as faeces can carry E. coli, salmonella, and roundworm eggs, which are dangerous to humans, particularly tiny ones, pets, and wildlife.

While rare, contact with dog excrement can cause toxocariasis an infection that can lead to dizziness, nausea, asthma and even blindness or seizures, according to the NHS.

For litterpicker Leonie a more radical proposal, adopted elsewhere, could be the solution.

“Other countries, like Italy use compulsory dog DNA databases,” she explains.

“They test the waste and trace it back to the owner, who gets a hefty fine.”

In Bolzano, northern Italy, dog owners are required to pay €65 for a DNA test of their pet.

The results go into a police database, allowing officers to trace uncollected dog mess and fine owners between €292 and €1,048.

“It works, and the income from fines outweighs the cost of the programme,” Leonie added.

So far similar “dog DNA” schemes have been trialled in parts of the UK, including Jersey, Barking, Edinburgh, and closer to home, in Barking and Dagenham, east London.

But councils to date have blamed high costs and limited enforcement powers for a failure for the scheme to take off.

Still, with the problem growing - and sports facilities also weighing into the debate with complaints about dog mess mucking up pitches and tracks - some say it may be time to reignite the debate and try and come up with further solutions.

In neighbouring Surrey, a scheme designed to stop dog poo bags being left in the countryside split opinion back in 2023.

The county council there trialled so-called “poo bag trees” where dog walkers were able to place bags full of their dog’s muck on special ornamental trees, designed like coat racks, which they could then collect on their way back.

It was hoped their positioning - close to car parks and entrances - would remind owners of their responsibilities but it faced a backlash with many appalled by the idea.