ON Friday, February 15, while retrieving my bin following the weekly refuse collection, a sight of indescribable filth awaited me. Some despicable person had placed three bin-bags full of dog faeces outside my back door.

As anyone residing in Blackburn should be aware, the council refuse collectors will not remove any particle placed outside of the bins. The result in this case was that, on manoeuvring their wagon down the back street, the bin men burst open the sacks and spread the contents over a large area.

The health hazard towards local residents, their children and pets are obvious.

Following a number of phone calls to the refuse department, and an amount of complaining and threats, the matter was rectified on Saturday, morning.

But this sort of problem is not resultant from regulations over refuse collection, but, rather, from the blatant disregard of people's safety, well-being and standard of living within their own neighbourhood.

Why do such people own dogs in the first place? I am sure it is not a problem peculiar to my own street that dogs are kept in the wholly inappropriate environment of a backyard.

Not only does this create the problem of a yard full of excrement, which may ultimately be approached in the manner described, but it also engenders a host of problems in relation to the animal's welfare and that of local residents, who must suffer the constant noise of barking from the obviously unhappy pets.

The issue is perhaps indicative of the current climate of increasing disrespect of society in general, but my plea is to the owners of such dogs to consider the needs of your pets and those of your neighbours -- and to use a little common sense and effort not to pass your problems on to someone else.

MARY ASHWORTH, Hawkshead Street, Blackburn.