‘Selfish’ Edinburgh dog walkers fling 500 poo bags onto Ratho farm during lockdown

The farm, situated off the main street in Ratho, has become a dumping hot spot for animal faeces with increasing amounts of dog poo, both bagged and unbagged have been left on the track, fields and surrounding woodland during lockdown.

Anna Barry, 36, collected over 380 waste bags full of animal faeces from the fields in a couple of hours and with the help of her five children Archie, seven, Lizzie, eight, George, 10, Sophie, 12 and Clare 13, the family have disposed of over 500 poos.

Large amounts of waste has also been left in the public woodland walk running through the farm, built by the family in the 1990s.

Archie Barry, seven, helping clear up the farm in Ratho.

The idyllic forest trail is now littered with filled poo bags which have been tossed into tree and hidden in bushes by “irresponsible” dog owners.

“It’s absolutely disgusting,” Mrs Barry said. “You don’t feel like you can walk anywhere. It’s caused by the irresponsible and selfish few but it makes a big problem for us all.”

“Why they don't bin it after bagging it is a bit beyond me, but I guess they are too scared to be caught doing nothing so they bag it and then fling it into the bush when they think enough time has passed.”

Mrs Barry said the dog poo issue is not limited to the farm but has become a persistent problem in the village centre.

The family from Ratho have removed 500 bagged dog poos from their land.

“You can't get away from it,” said the mother-of-five. “Mums have told me they have gone through it with their buggy and kids have stepped in it on their way to school.”

Frustrated with the growing problem, Mrs Barry said she has “had enough” and wants Edinburgh City Council to put more bins in Ratho.

But local councillor Sue Webber said trying to get a bin anywhere in Edinburgh is: “one of the most difficult things to do as a local councillor.”

“Dog poo is a problem throughout the city but obviously Ratho has been identified as a hotspot and the council should be considering putting bins there.”

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