It is an offence to not pick up your dog’s poo in the streets. So surely, horse owners should abide by the same rules – right?

If you are caught failing to clean up after your dog you can be handed a fine of up to £80, and refusal to pay could lead to to court and a fine of up to £1,000. But there is no such fine for horse droppings.

A number of people living in Meols, West Kirby, Moreton, Formby and Southport have voiced their anger over frequently having horse droppings on streets, fields and even coastal roads near their homes.

But both Wirral and Sefton councils say there is no law in place that allows them to enforce anything or take action against horse owners.

A Wirral Council spokeswoman said: “Horse droppings are not hazardous to health as their diet is plant-based, and it would probably be unsafe for a rider to dismount in the middle of the road.”

But some residents are not happy.

One man living in Moreton says a pile of manure in the road caused him to come off his bicycle and break his arm.

Southport resident Del Breingan echoed this concern, saying: “I do think that some responsibility lies with the horse rider. When you’re riding a motorcycle and the road surface is wet, large quantities of wet horse poo in the middle of the road can be dangerous as it makes the road even more slippy than it is.”

Others were surprised people were unhappy.

Adele Cresswell said: “How times change. When I was a kid people used to grab a shovel and race to get the horse poo. It’s the best manure ever.”

The British Horse Society offers this advice for all riders: “Horse droppings can be a bone of contention. A droppings bag can be installed behind carriage horses but this is not possible for the ridden horse.

“It is virtually impossible to predict when/where a horse will defecate although it will be particularly likely to do so if startled or where it has been startled before.

“If possible, try to avoid riding where droppings are likely to give offence. For instance, if a bridleway goes through a children’s recreation area, stick strictly to the line.

“If a path has a hard surface that is used by people with wheelchairs, cycles or pushchairs, try if you can to move your horse so that the droppings fall onto the verge and do not clog the other path users’ wheels.

“It may be helpful to point out to complainants that horse dung is highly valued for compost, it can support biodiversity and droppings from healthy horses pose minimal risk to human health.

“On such routes it is much appreciated if riders are able to dismount and kick droppings to one side. Such behaviour increases the potential for new routes to include horses as dung is frequently given as a reason to exclude horses from off-road routes.”