A CARING nine-year-old is urging people to take more responsibility for dog-fouling to protect her little brother who has hearing problems.

Lola Dooley, of York Street, Leigh, has created a sign and had it put up on a lamppost outside her house asking residents to clean up after their dogs when they are out on their walks.

The Bedford Hall Methodist Primary School pupil's two-year old brother Freddie has hearing difficulties which has led to him repeatedly walking through dog muck after not hearing calls from his mum Sarah to avoid it.

Sarah, 30, said: "I have lived in the area all my life and dog-fouling has never been as bad as what it is now.

"When Freddie is out walking with me and I tell him to avoid muck in the road he sometimes does not hear me and has walked through it quite a few times.

"I think it has gradually got worse in the from last summer, particularly around Manchester Road and Warrington Road.

"It is beyond a joke how bad it has got especially with the amount of children who use the roads to walk to school.

"As everyone knows, it can present a dangerous health risk to people.

"I also go to Leigh Cemetery to visit my auntie's resting place and it is a problem around there as well."

Sarah shared a picture of Lola's sign on social media about the situation which received overwhelming support from residents.

She added: "I was so proud of Lola when she showed me her sign- she is such a caring girl.

"She has been anxious about the situation and wanted to do something to help her baby brother.

"I am hoping people will take notice of it when they are out walking their dog.

"There are plenty of bins for people to put the dog bags in so it is laziness that the waste is not disposed of."

The family have a six-month-old Boston terrier called Mickey Finn who Sarah walks regularly with a group of dog-walkers.

Last week, Wigan Council's cabinet made a decision to stop giving out free dog bags in the borough in a move to save more than £18,000 since last April.

Paul Barton, director for environment at the council, said: “It is part of being a responsible dog owner to pick up your dog’s poo.

"This includes taking responsibility for buying and carrying appropriate bags.

“Despite the withdrawal of the council’s free bag offer we expect responsible dog owners to continue to use their own supply of bags keeping the borough a clean and attractive place to live free from dog mess.

“Dog poo bags will still be distributed free of charge in limited amounts when our enforcement team are targeting specific problem areas.

“I would encourage residents to report dog fouling to us through our Report It app.”

To visit the council's Report It app visit bit.ly/2C7Ectv.