An amateur rugby player has been hospitalised after falling in dog poo during a match.
Adam Lang, 28, was playing for Tondu RFC against Crymych on February 14 when he suffered a small cut on his elbow, which then became infected by the dog faeces.
Lang was treated by the team’s physio for the cut he sustained during a line-out but he was not immediately aware of the infection until he felt ‘unbearable’ pain in his arm on Saturday evening.
He visited A&E on Sunday but the infection had spread to his hand and he was then taken to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital where he spent two days receiving intense antibiotic treatment via an IV drip.
Tondu RFC’s home ground at Pandy Park in Bridgend, Wales, is used by over 400 children and adults each week.
Graham Thomas, Tondu RFC’s chairman who has been involved with the club for 40 years, told Metro: ‘Adam went up in a line-out, came down awkwardly, grazed his elbow and then got on with the rest of the game pretty normal, unknowingly he picked up some dog’s mess in his elbow, later that evening he went to work, felt a stiffness in his arm, it was swelling up, it progressively got worse then he ended up in hospital.
‘It happens with children or the adults, they have to finish training early because they’ve fallen in dog’s mess and they need to get in the shower, they don’t get infected because they’ve washed it off quickly.
‘In Adam’s case, it’s probably someone’s picked their dog poo up off the pitch but some has been left, so Adam didn’t fall in a big lump of dog poo and had to go off the pitch to clean it off, he didn’t realise he’d fallen in it.
‘It’s such a risk, it could end up putting kids off, they could go blind or lose a limb, it’s a huge risk.
‘It’s a public park, it’s always been owned by the local authority, it’s a great park, it welcomes hundreds of dog walkers a week, which is absolutely fine, and 99 per cent of them are responsible and they don’t allow their dogs to go on the sports pitches but a few unfortunately just let them run and don’t watch where they’re going, totally oblivious. A few don’t even realise sport is played down there. They just let their dogs off and they run around the park oblivious to it all.
‘We’ve complained to the local authority about it quite often and it’s at the point where it’s really frustrating now because other bodies around us have instructed Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO) on sports pitches, our council are reluctant to do that, why I do not know.
‘We’re badgering them and and local councillors are helping us with that, but I don’t know what they’re waiting for because the potential dangers of this.
‘Adam’s quite lucky, the infection spread quite fast, within 24 hours he had to go on an IV drip. If it’s left untreated or if someone is a bit brash about themselves saying, ‘it’ll be alright’, they could be in serious trouble.’
A post on Tondu RFC’s social media accounts read: ‘The player has missed work and will continue to miss work for an unknown period, plus a significant period of time unable to play rugby.
‘This situation is entirely preventable and highlights the serious health risks posed when dog owners fail to clean up after their pets. Our pitches are used by players of all ages, and everyone has the right to train and play in a safe environment.
‘This should not be happening. Please keep your dogs off the playing surfaces at Pandy Park. Even if the mess is picked up, the damage has already been done.’
A Bridgend County Borough Council spokesperson said: ‘We urge the small minority of dog owners who fail to pick up after their dogs to consider the serious impact their actions can have on other members of the public. We would also like to remind the public that dog fouling is a legally enforceable offence.
‘Our Public Spaces Protection Order for Dog Control requires anyone in control of a dog in a public space to clean up and appropriately dispose of any dog mess, and to also carry a bag or other means of disposal at all times. A review of this order is currently taking place and a public consultation will get underway soon.
‘In addition to this, we can confirm that our cabinet has recently requested a report which considers prohibiting dogs from marked sports pitches across the county borough.
‘If members of the public witness any instances of dog fouling, we would encourage them to report it by completing a form on our website. This is all the more important given dog fouling is often carried out discretely. We also regularly promote the importance of picking up dog mess as well as sharing campaigns form partners such as Keep Wales Tidy.’
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