PET owners have caused a stink in their village after the organisers of an annual sports event were forced to cancel it due to the amount of dog dirt on the playing field.

Residents of Cotherstone, in County Durham, are furious after it was revealed that the amount of dog mess on the play area made it dangerous to use for sports.

Now the children's sporting weekend, held every year on the Haggs playing field, has been cancelled by the local parish council.

The event usually runs alongside the village fun weekend, which has had to be revised due to the spread of the foot-and-mouth epidemic.

The sporting event, which has been running for ten years, usually features races, football matches and a rounders match, with adults joining in as well.

But all the resident have to look forward to this year is a coffee morning in the village hall.

Parish councillor Jenny Watson said it was a minority of dog walkers who were causing the problem.

She said: "Most dog owners are using their poop scoops, but some aren't bothering and the amount of mess on the Haggs has gradually been increasing.

"There are plenty of bins but it doesn't seem to matter, and now the problem has come to a head.

"It has been worsened by the foot-and-mouth crisis, because people don't have anywhere to walk their dogs.

"It is a shame we have felt forced to cancel the sports event, but it is too dangerous, and we feel sorry for the youngsters and adults who were looking forward to it."

The dog warden from Teesdale District Council has been informed of the problem in Cotherstone and will be inspecting the play area in the next few days.