Be careful outside, there’s a ‘poodemic’​​​​​​​ happening on our streets | Blaise Tapp

Because there is very little else to do right now, I am walking more than ever before, even if it is a quick 20 minutes around the block at night, although family outings to nearby woods are pretty much the highlight of our weekends.

Although these strolls are mostly enjoyable, we have had to learn to look where we are going in order to miss the ubiquitous brown parcels which have become as much a sign of the times as face masks and empty high streets.

Walking along the pavements where I live is rather like an extended game of hopscotch and it’s bad luck for anybody who inadvertently treads on a neatly tied up little bag of delights.

Another new phenomenon is the sight of the overflowing dedicated bins which is pretty much some dog owners saying to the rest of us ‘at least I went to the trouble of bagging it up and didn’t let Churchill do his business outside number 23’.

This isn’t just a problem local to me as there is growing evidence that this issue impacts communities across the country – a poodemic if you will.

Up and down this nation of dog lovers there have been similar reports of anti-social behaviour by owners who are either incapable of or unwilling to clean up after their pets.

One aggravating feature of this unpleasant comeback trend – dog dirt was very big in the 1980s – is when some owners think it is perfectly acceptable to hang filled up bags from the branches of trees, like they were some grizzly Christmas decoration.

Such is the problem in one part of Scotland that an area popular with lazy dog walkers has been dubbed ‘the Hanging Gardens of Jobbylon’.

Anybody who has watched even five minutes of a Billy Connolly performance will be familiar with the term ‘jobby’.

There are many theories about why we are seeing noticeably more of this mess on our streets.

There is a school of thought that lockdown has brought about a new breed of dog owner, who doesn’t care about societal norms such as not leaving excrement on a public highway where some poor sap will come a cropper five minutes later.

It’s true that there has been a huge surge in demand for dogs since the first lockdown, I’m not so sure as from the evidence I’ve seen locally it’s fully grown Irish Wolfhounds, if not baby elephants, that are the culprits, not dainty little pedigree pups.

I am more inclined to go with the theory that some people who have long objected to cleaning up after their four-legged friend now feel able to get away with not doing so, given that there are fewer people about to challenge them.

Yes, councils do have the power to fine irresponsible dog owners but this is clearly not enough of a deterrent for a significant number who are confident that they won’t get caught or that their local authority has more important things to do right now.

People who turn a blind eye to their dog’s toilet habits are enemies of their neighbourhoods, many of which have been galvanised by a year of bad news.

Taking pride in where you live is central to great community spirit but there is a malignant minority who thumb their noses, not to mention their dogs’ backsides, at the rest of us.

We live in the genuine hope that the nightmare of the past year will be over before long but there are some unpleasant side effects that we might have to endure for years to come.