A CRUSADING young girl has started a protest over dog mess in Marlow.

Eleven-year-old Romany Wall from Oxford Road, Marlow, has called on dogs to be banned from Riley Park because of the excrement left behind.

She said: "Lots of people go into the park to play and they could go blind if they fall in it. If everyone did pick up their dog mess it wouldn't be much of a problem.

"There's dog bins everywhere but not many people seem to take the time to put it in there and they just leave it on the grass. If people don't clean up, dogs should be banned from parks."

Romany's bold words have been echoed by Marlow Rugby Football Club. Though the club is happy for members to bring their dogs along, dog walkers often cross the pitches out of club hours, leaving hazardous waste behind them.

Club administrator Gill Serpa said: "I think it's outrageous. We have hundreds of children here on a Sunday and any one of them could fall in.

"Though we don't have a problem with members bringing their dogs down there are some people who are inconsiderate. There's very little we can do. The place isn't manned 24-seven so we don't always see them.

"When we do see dog walkers, they say We've been coming here for 15 years and we'll continue to do so'."

She added: "We have had children fall in dog mess this season but luckily we have not had any cases of toxocariasis."

Amersham and Chiltern Rugby Club has resorted to banning dogs. Club chairman Chris McCombie said: "We've got 400 children on a Sunday playing rugby and we feel we have a moral responsibility for the health and safety of our players."

Club coach 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.

Mr Owen 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."

Maurice Oram is one of the trustees from the Riley Park Trust, the group that manages Riley Park.

He said: "It is a very few irresponsible dog owners who are leaving the mess. The vast majority have got into the practice of cleaning up behind their dogs.

"We have a contractor who comes in and empties the dog bins but that costs £600 a year, which we would like to spend on improving the park.

"We want the park to be enjoyed by everybody."