A COACH at the Amersham and Chiltern Rugby Club has spoken of the dangers dog mess can cause to players.

Roddy Owen, 63, contracted faecal septicaemia two years ago as a result of residue from dog excrement on the pitch of a rugby club in Oxfordshire entering his bloodstream.

The condition is believed to have contributed to the death in 2003 of former Wycombe Royal Grammar School pupil Nick Duncombe, the ex-Harlequins scrum half who won two England caps.

Mr Owen, who has coached at the club for 15 years, said: "You are very prone to the condition as the dog mess stays in the ground for some time. This can kill you stone dead.

"You can't tell it's happened but within a few weeks the leg is infected and starts to swell up. Within a month it can kill you."

Just before the incident Mr Owen had had stitches inserted into a leg cut, and he contracted the condition after residue got into his bloodstream when the wound opened up. It happened when he was coaching the side's Colts during a match at Grove Rugby Club.

He added: "It's particularly bad for younger people, but also older people. It has a devastating effect."

The club recently put up posters warning dog walkers about the dangers of letting their animals onto the playing area in a bid to solve the problem.

Last week, chairman Chris McCombie said up to 150 dogs a week had been crossing the pitch at Weedon Lane. But he added that since the posters had gone up, dog owners were "starting to get the message".