A Battersea mum campaigning for swift action after running the ‘gauntlet of faeces-ridden streets’ while taking her child to school every day.

Mum-of-two Anna Cao, who lives near the Shaftesbury Estate, has written to Wandsworth councillors and MPs because the area around Shaftesbury Park Primary School is ‘blighted’ by dog poo.

With turds on ‘every street’ in the Shaftesbury Estate area, she said her two-year-old has walked into the mess four times and even once fell in some after coming off his tricycle.

In a letter, seen by Wandsworth Guardian, Mrs Cao said: “I’m writing as a resident and a concerned parent, for myself, but also on behalf of everyone who has to run the gauntlet of faeces-ridden streets to get their child to and from Shaftesbury Park Primary School every day.

“The area immediately around the school is blighted by dog poo.

“On every street in the Shaftesbury Estate [area] there are piles of fresh and ageing muck, either left where it fell, spread out by unfortunate feet, bikes, scooters, wheelchairs or pushchairs, or even just dumped in little black dog poo bags.

“These inevitably split and go the same way as the stuff just left as it is.”

The children’s entertainer, 37, called it ‘revolting’ and, although she understands laws preventing it are difficult to enforce, Mrs Cao believes it should not be accepted.

Now she is calling on dog mess bins and regular street cleaning to be provided, as well as official signs be installed which remind dog owners of the consequences of falling foul.

She added: “Shaftesbury is a fantastic place to live with a wonderful community of people but we need to help some dog owners do better and keep our children safe.”

Wandsworth Council has since responded and says it is tackling the problem.

Councillor Jonathan Cook, cabinet member for community services, said: “I completely agree that irresponsible dog owners not picking up and disposing of their dog’s mess can really impact on local communities.

“Wandsworth Council is committed to dealing with this issue and would urge people to clear up after their dogs. We are aware that there has been dog fouling on the Shaftesbury Estate and the streets in that area are cleansed twice a week – Thursday and Monday.

“Should fouling appear on any other day, a request to our Rapid Response team will prompt a further clearance, usually on the same day.

“I would stress that if you are a dog owner, you have a legal and moral duty to clean up every time your dog messes in a public place.

“Anyone not adhering to this faces a fixed penalty notice, or prosecution.”

Mr Cook urged residents to report incidents with specific details so it could be dealt with by enforcement officers accordingly, and ‘specific measures’ have been introduced for this problem which includes extra signage, leafletting homes in the area, and carrying out two public awareness campaigns.

He added: “All these are designed to explain the laws, the responsibilities of dog owners, and the action we will take if offenders are caught.”

To contact Wandsworth Council's enforcement team, call 0208 871 7606

Or email: dogcontrol@wandsworth.gov.uk