A FURIOUS resident who put up a sign telling dog walkers not to let their animals foul outside his home was ordered to take it own after it was deemed offensive by Bolton Council.

Alf Halligan, of Affleck Avenue, Stoneclough, attached a notice to a telegraph pole in front of his home asking dog owners not to leave their pets’ mess outside — but the notice used an offensive word.

The 69-year-old had noticed dog mess outside his gate on three consecutive mornings.

Several days later he was visited by a Bolton Council officer who told him an anonymous complainant had said the sign’s wording was offensive and he would have to take it down.

After altering the offending word to “muck”, Mr Halligan said he was allowed to leave the sign up and has since spotted no more dog mess near his gate.

He said: “I was hoping to prick the conscience of whoever had let their dog poo outside my gate three nights in a row.

“When the man from Bolton Council turned up in a van I think he was expecting a big three foot sign — not a five inch by five inch piece of paper.

“I altered the wording to ‘muck’ and they said they were happy with that. If that offends them they are someone very soft.”

Mr Halligan, who has lived in the property since 1972, said dog mess on the street near his house has been an issue over the years.

He added: “I have a dog myself but I would never let it foul on the street without cleaning it up.

“Since I put the sign up there has been no more dog mess, so it has obviously worked.”

A Bolton Council spokesman added: “We received a complaint that a notice containing offensive language was placed in a public place on a telegraph pole.

“On visiting the site our enforcement officer approached the person who installed the sign and asked him to remove it, which he did.

“The man decided to place the sign on his gate and we advised him that we have no powers to remove it from his property.

“However, we do ask that people choose appropriate language that is not likely to offend anyone when erecting signs.”