DOG owners visiting a vets in East Lancashire are to be given free poop-scoop bags in a bid to cut down on dog mess on the streets.

Stanley House Veterinary Surgery, in Colne, has teamed up with the Pendle Pride Initiative to heighten the awareness of the problem during the National Canine Defence League's (NCDL) National Poop Scoop Week August 21-25.

Dog waste on the street is one of the biggest problems members of the public complain about. According to the Tidy Britain Group there is an estimated 6.8million dogs in the UK producing about 900 tonnes of excrement every day.

As well as being offensive, dog mess can cause diseases such as bronchial and toxocariasis -- which can lead to blindness to children. And because dog waste is an unavoidable by-product of owning a dog and dogs are incapable of cleaning up after themselves, awareness needs to be raised among owners to clean up after their pets.

Every canine client who has an appointment at Stanley House will be given a free poop-scoop as well as information on why it is important to clean dog mess from the streets.

Liz Edmondson, practice administrator at the vets, said they were pleased to get involved.

"It is definitely something that does need promoting," she said. "Dog mess can be a health hazard and cause diseases, as well as being very unpleasant. We often tell our clients about how they can help."

Poop-scoop bags are also available for free from all Pendle Borough Council Shops. All council land in Pendle has been designated an area on which it is an offence not to clean up after your dog. The maximum penalty is £1,000.