A rugby player has been left with a life changing infection after being stamped on with boot studs covered in dog faeces.
Darryl Adams, 50, said he has never properly recovered after he was struck with a sporting injury 17 years ago.
The HGV driver, from Wales, was hospitalised in 2005 after his shin was stamped on with rugby boot studs covered in dog mess left on the pitch in Blaenau Gwent.
He was diagnosed with a deep skin infection caused by bacteria after the studs pierced through the skin on his shin.
Darryl said his leg has "never been right since" and is now urging dog owners to pick up after their pets.
“I ended up having a week in hospital and the doctor who treated me said that once you get cellulitis," he told Liverpool Echo.
"All it takes is something small to trigger it off again.
"The infection flared up twice between 2005 and 2013. The last flare up in 2013 was the worst.
"All it took was heavy flu to trigger it and I was hospitalised for two weeks because the infection had tracked into my veins.
"Ever since then my leg has never been right, it is constantly swollen and looks awful.
"All from some selfish person who couldn't be bothered to pick up after their dog."
Dog faeces remains a persistent issue in the UK and a new dog fouling campaign aims to raise awareness of the associated health risks.
It carries harmful bacteria which can lead to infection, asthma and even blindness and can live in soil long after the dog mess has decomposed.
Lesley Jones, chief executive of Keep Wales Tidy, said: “We urge the minority of irresponsible dog owners to do the right thing and pick up after their pets.
"By not picking up after your dog, you could be putting people at risk. Darryl’s story highlights just how harmful dog poo can be for people.
"Dog poo isn’t just an unpleasant mess, it can be dangerous. Please bag it, bin it and leave only paw prints when you’re out and about.”
