INCONSIDERATE dog walkers are being asked to consider the health risks posed to rugby players by leaving their pet's foul on playing fields.

Last week a friendly match between Beaconsfield Rugby Club and High Wycombe at Oak Lodge Meadow was delayed while volunteers cleared the field of dog droppings.

If droppings are left on the field, it can lead to players contracting faecal septicaemia and its potentially fatal symptoms.

BRFC Chairman Jim O'Toole said there are some dog owners who release the pets with out supervision and leave their mess behind.

He said: “Most local dog owners are serious pet owners who automatically bring a pooper scooper or bag to put the dog mess in the numerous bins provided on site by the Council, an increasing number however are allowing their dogs to use the BRFC pitches as the biggest dog toilet in Beaconsfield.”

He is appealing for dog owners to take responsibility.

He said: “My biggest concern is for our 570 junior and mini players slipping and falling into unseen dog mess. Our players are as risk of contracting faecal septicaemia from dog excrement, which can result in blindness and worse, as the well documented case at Marlow and Amershan & Chiltern sadly showed a few years ago.

“It is also unfair to ask our parents and coaches to clean up other people's dog mess so we can run a training session safely.”