Councillors have heard that the mother of the little girl 'went nuts' after discovering her child has picked up the dog mess

Action has been taken to clear up a back alley after shocking claims a toddler was found 'eating dog poo'. Speaking at a recent meeting of Bolton full council, Sue Priest, who represents the Smithills ward described the incident, reported to her by a resident.

She said Back Empress Street, between Chorley Old Road and Empress Street, had been in a 'sorry state' prior to the incident. She said: "It's very overgrown and dog walkers obviously thought they wouldn't have to pick up after their dog, as it's fairly hidden.

"He told me the shocking story of a small child approximately two to three years old, seen eating dog poo and had it all over her face - yuck. The mother went nuts, and I don't blame her, the health risk for small children is tremendous."

Coun Priest said the resident had contacted the council on many occasions earlier this year to get Back Empress Street cleaned up without action taken. She questioned whether neighbourhood services at the council were suitably resourced 'to carry out their basic functions and responsibilities' and asked about current response times, MEN reports.

When the Local Democracy Reporting Service visited the area on November 26, Back Empress Street looked relatively clean and tidy and was free of litter and dog dirt. At the end of the alley two 'no dog fouling' pavement signs had been painted on the footpath.

Elaine Broughton, 61, who lives in Heaton, was passing during the visit. When told of the alleged incident, she said: "That's absolutely appalling, poor little thing, how horrible for her and the mum and dad. It's criminal that people let their dogs muck up the streets.

"Most people are good and pick up don't they? "But it only takes a selfish minority to be lazy and something disgusting like this can happen." Bolton council this week confirmed that Back Empress Street had been 'cleaned and stencilled with new 'no dog fouling' signs'.

A spokesperson added: "As a council, we are investing in our neighbourhood services to keep our public spaces clean and safe for everyone to use.

"The street in question has been thoroughly cleaned, dog fouling patrols have made multiple visits to the site, and new signage has been added. "Issues like this are caused by a small minority of irresponsible residents who dump rubbish or fail to pick up after their dog, and we have robust enforcement measures in place to hold them to account.

"However, the majority of people in Bolton take great pride in where they live and we are lucky to work with many outstanding community groups who work hard to help us keep our town clean."