MONMOUTHSHIRE County Council is sharing funny pictures of dogs on social media to raise awareness of the growing problem of dog owners not cleaning their pets’ mess.

The council has seen an increase in instances of owners not clearing up after their dogs and tying the mess in bags and hanging them on trees.

Councillor Phil Hobson, deputy leader of the council and lead member for sustainability, said: “It’s Christmas but this is no way to decorate a tree.

“Dumping dog waste is antisocial and the particular nature of what is being left lying about is particularly toxic.

“The posters we’re sharing online should make people think about their actions – nobody wants to step in poo and we want to get people to talk about this and condemn those who leave poos in inappropriate places. We want to change behaviour and this campaign will hopefully make people see that everybody wants dog owners to scoop the poop up.”

One of the images shows a sad looking Jack Russell with the caption ‘You just leave there for people to step in? #shame.’ Council officers urge owners to dispose of dog mess correctly by bagging it and binning it in dog waste bins, litter bins or household grey bags.

People can get involved in the dog poo chat by following on Twitter @MonmouthshireCC or Facebook facebook.com/MonmouthshireCC