A scheme aiming to stop dog poo bags from being discarded in the countryside has divided opinion among residents.
Surrey County Council has been trialling "poo bag trees", which allow dog walkers to place bags full of faeces on branches which they can collect on their way back.
After a photo of a tree in Norbury Park near Fetcham was published on a private Facebook group, residents said they felt revolted by the new initiative.
Councillor Caroline Salmon, responsible for community services at the Mole Valley District Council, was also not a fan, Surrey Live reports.
She said she opposed the posts if they were replacing bins and called on people to take their rubbish home with them.
The councillor added: "As far as I'm aware there are bins where people can put dog poo bags in and to have some sort of hanging basket thing seems a bit strange.
"Ideally everyone should take all their rubbish home, that's the perfect solution. I'm not surprised I haven't been consulted, they don't normally consult do they? I'm surprised that Surrey [County Council ] thinks it's a good idea to do that."
However, some dog walkers said the scheme was a good idea, with one saying it would reduce the amount of rubbish being left behind.
The walker said: "I tend to use bins but there aren't enough of those around.
"Obviously in the more remote areas people don't want to carry their poo to the next poo bin. If there were these posts that would be fantastic."
A county council spokesperson said the trial had been ongoing over the past year.
They said the so-called "trees" had led to a large reduction of bagged dog waste being left behind and said they were "pleased" with the progress made.
The spokesperson said: "There is a big problem with dog waste at many countryside sites and many SCC [Surrey County Council] sites have very high numbers of dog walkers and waste/bags left on site, in all sorts of locations.
"Many dog walkers bag the waste and then leave it somewhere to collect on their return, only to forget it (and it can then be found hanging in bushes/trees etc). Hanging the bag on our ‘tree’ reduces this issue. The trees are positioned carefully at the sort of distance from the car parks where the owners pick up/bag the waste, so they don’t have to carry it with them.
"The explanatory sign asks them to take their waste home with them and not just leave it on the tree for others/SCC to collect. This is a message now being used commonly/nationally to encourage people to take responsibility for the waste (including dog waste) they bring to site, and not to expect the local authority/others to clean up after them."
