AN incident that saw a dog owner let their pet poo on a park bench before leaving it and walking away has been branded as 'disgusting.'

The incident happened last week at Port Sunlight River Park in Wirral, with the team in charge of the park posting an image on Facebook calling the act 'irresponsible', asking the perpetrator to 'clean up or walk elsewhere.'

On Friday, Anne Litherland, park ranger, said: “An incident like this is rare but all the more disgusting because of the location. It was cleared up as soon as it was found. We strive to keep the park well maintained.”

The incident reportedly happened between 10am and 11am on October 2, and was also widely condemned by park users commenting on social media.

Run by the Land Trust, the facility was transformed from a closed landfill site to a 28-hectare park with wildlife, woodland and views overlooking the Mersey Estuary. It opened in 2014.

Ms Litherland also described the efforts made in keeping the park well-maintained, including help from the Friends of Port Sunlight River Park Group and regular park user Mark Smurthwaite, who sponsored installing a Tispak dog bag waste dispenser.

Ms Litherland added: “Since the dispenser was introduced in April this year, dog fouling in the park has gone down by 90%. Two extra bins have also been installed, one funded by the Friends Group and the other donated. Several of our regular dog walkers will also pick up mess left behind by the irresponsible ones.

“We support Wirral Council’s dog control measures and welcome their enforcement officers’ presence.”