A DISGUSTED dog walker has spoken out after trying to tackle a mound of animal poo at the entrance to a popular wooded area.

Helen Ridley, from Darlington, says the pile of dog poo in the woods near Great Burdon is becoming a health hazard.

This week, after coming across it while walking her Labrador retriever Jack, she tried to clean it up but was unable to complete the task as some of the waste had congealed and was covered in maggots.

She said: "It's been an issue in the past but with the current situation there are quite a lot more people walking their dogs.

"There are no facilities but that's not an excuse. It's creating a health hazard and it's just horrible.

"It needs people with industrial protection to get rid of it."

The Forestry Commission-owned land already has signs encouraging people to take dog waste away from the site.