London council is to remove 700 dog waste bins to save £160,000 as residents fear 'poo Christmas trees'

Lambeth Council plans to scrap 700 dog waste bins across its parks and green spaces, a move that will push the disposal of roughly 15 tonnes of bagged waste a year onto dog owners. The council expects to save £160,000, but critics say the plan will result in bags hanging from trees and fences across the borough.

Residents have already come up with the phrase 'poo Christmas trees' to capture what they fear awaits: branch after branch draped with knotted bags once the bins are gone.

The Belfast Health Trust's maternity hospital separately emerged today as a £100m-plus NHS shambles, with 2,200 defective valves to be replaced after chemical flushing wrecked its own pipework.