A dog owner ignored requests to clean up his pets’ poo for so long during the summer that neighbours could not open their windows for the smell, a court heard.

Alan Morse, 46, let his three Staffordshire bull terriers do their business in the back yard until it built up to such a disgusting state environmental health officers were called in.

But Morse, from Radcliffe, still did not remove the mess and he was handed an abatement notice – ordering him to keep his yard clean – by Bury Council.

But town hall officers were called out four times between January and July this year, during which the UK had one of the hottest summers on record, to clean up the mess after neighbours complained.

Finally, the dog owner was taken to court for breaching the order.

He was ordered to pay £1,440 by Manchester’s magistrates after admitting breaching the council’s abatement notice on Wednesday.

Speaking in court, the defendant said in mitigation it was ‘difficult’ to clean up the mess and the council had ‘a lot more resources than I do’.

His dogs had been allowed to foul in the terraced house’s yard, the court heard.

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Neighbours complained that the smell was so bad they could not open their windows, prosecutor Anita Green told the bench.

Mrs Green added there were ‘flies, vermin and puddles of foul water’.

Mrs Green warned children could be blinded if they touched contaminated soil that could contain toxocariasis, a dangerous parasite sometimes found in dog faeces.

Speaking in his defence Morse, who told the bench he has type 2 diabetes, added: “It’s difficult to clean up the yard. I have tried. I’m just not able to keep it clean. I have no access to skips for removal and bin men refused to take my rubbish when it became too full.

“The council has a lot more resources than I do.”

The council had asked Mr Morse to clear his yard in January this year, it was heard, and came to clean it themselves on four separate occasions between then and July.

Mrs Green said Mr Morse’s actions showed a ‘flagrant disregard for the law’.

“[The council isn’t] in the business of prosecuting,” she added.

“He continued to allow the yard to get into a mess. It would be quite straightforward to sort out this dog fouling and remove it.”

Mr Morse pleaded guilty to breaching an abatement order, admitting he had ignored the council’s requests for him to clean his backyard.

Handing out the sentence, Magistrate Richard Blackman said the reasons for not cleaning he had suggested ‘are not defences in the eyes of the law’.

Morse was fined £900, ordered to pay £450 costs and £90 victim surcharge.

He was also warned that if the order was not complied with the council may prosecute again.