South Downs: Charity walker picks up hundreds of piles of dog mess

A hiker who picked up hundreds of piles of dog mess from a trail in a national park has said he did so to highlight the environmental harm it can do.

Henry Rawlings collected more than 88lb (40kg) of faeces during a 65-mile (105km) sponsored walk of the Serpent Trail in the South Downs National Park.

Mr Rawlings, from Storrington, West Sussex, said he decided to clear up the mess to help to protect the habitat.

He added that some dog owners were "disrespectful" to the park.

The four-day hike, from Haslemere in Surrey to Petersfield in Hampshire, took Mr Rawlings through a variety of environments, including heathlands which are considered to house some of the rarest habitats in the UK.

They are home to creatures such as sand lizards, smooth snakes, silver-studded blue butterflies and Dartford warblers.

Mr Rawlings said he thought "collecting the dog poo would make the fundraiser a bit more of a challenge, as well as help protect the habitat".

"I lost count of the number of poos I scooped up, but I reckon it was well over 40kg in total," he said.

Heathlands Reunited engagement officer Olivia French said dog excrement can upset the nutrient balance of the soils.

"Introducing an outside influence such as dog poo changes the profile of the soil and this can then have a harmful impact on this very fragile wildlife haven," she said.

"When you have hundreds of these dog poos scattered across the landscape, you can imagine the cumulative damage this could cause over several years."

The South Downs National Park has called for owners to bag and bin dog poo.

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