Newly-released statistics have revealed that the number of dog poo littering acts has risen by a whopping 200% since the start of the first lockdown.
Walking the dog has become one of the few opportunities awarded to us amid ongoing restrictions and has provided Brits with the chance to get outside for some fresh air during lockdown, but this has apparently come at a stinky and germ-ridden cost according to one rubbish collection company.
Divert.co.uk – who provide dog poo litter removal for councils and private landowners in the UK – has confirmed that dog poo litter is up 200%.
And just as bad are those who bag the poo, and then dump the bag in the street or up a tree.
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The company is alarmed by this sharp increase, has branded it a clear indicator that not all dog owners are cleaning up after their pups, and has warned of the implications that this could have for public health, as well as calling on irresponsible owners to pick up after their dogs.
“It is disgusting to see that some dog owners are failing to pick up after their pets, when it’s an offence and the waste can lead to serious illnesses,” says Divert.co.uk spokesperson Mark Hall.
“There is more poo than people on the streets of the UK right now.”
He continued: “Walking your dog is important for both pet and owner for exercise, especially while we are all house-bound during the lockdown [but] unfortunately, thanks to the thoughtless behaviour by a few individuals, dog owners are once again getting a bad reputation due to a massive increase in dog mess on the streets.”
The company believes that due to fewer people being out and about, irresponsible dog owners are probably thinking they are less likely to get caught, and are therefore more likely to leave the poo and run.
Thankfully though, not all dog owners will leave poo on the pavement, as waste campaigners Keep Britain Tidy – who has run high profile campaigns such as the ‘dog poo fairy’ – have found that 9 out of 10 dog owners do regularly clean up after their dog.
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The 10% who do not clean up after their dog could be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £100 for failing to pick up their dog’s waste.
This could rise up to £1,000 if the issue goes to court.
“There really is no excuse for this behaviour, especially as the waste can be put into any public bin,” Mark Hall continues.
“It’s lockdown laziness, especially those guys who bag the mess, then don’t bin the bag.
“We understand, it’s cold and we’ve had some snow recently, but thinking it’s quiet enough to get away with leaving it is no excuse not to pick up after your dog. The snow will eventually melt away, but your dog’s frozen turd will still be there for some poor bugger to step in.”
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Watch adorable Lottie, 7, wowing crowds at Manchester Carnival on stage with Serani
Daisy Jackson
A tiny singer has ended up as one of the stars of the show at Manchester Caribbean Carnival after she was pulled up on stage by dancehall singer Serani.
Little Lottie, at just seven years old, belted out a verse of the star’s hit song No Games while the huge crowd cheered and danced.
And Serani was so impressed with her, that he’s now got back in touch and asked her to feature on his new song, and treated her family to a day out in London with him.
Videos of the heartwarming exchange at Carnival have been widely shared on social media, with one video earning more than 6.2m views on TikTok at the time of writing.
In the below video shared with The Manc, Serani is seen crouching down to her eye level, before asking the young girl for her name and telling her she is ‘so sweet’.
Lottie then grabs his arm and whispers in his ear that she doesn’t know all the words, to which he responds: “You don’t need to know all of it baby, just sing for the beautiful people of Manchester.”
After a brief hesitation, Lottie, wearing a pink tie-die dress, starts belting out No Games – and the crowd absolutely erupts.
Serani then starts singing the lyric ‘It’s, it’s, it’s Serani’ – but is interrupted by Lottie shouting ‘LOTTIE’, much to the delight of the onlookers.
Once she hits her stride, there’s no stopping the tiny star, who had all of Alexandra Park in the palm of her hand.
Thousands of people have shared their love for the adorable moment on social media.
Comments have included ‘GET IT LOTTIEEEEEE’ and ‘LOTTIE MASH UP DI PLACE’.
Another person wrote: “The way her confidence shot up when everyone hyper her.”
Someone else said: “Wow the way I felt that energy thru the phone like POW.”
One user commented: “Love the crowd hyping up the boss girl! She’s got fantastic taste in music too!”
Serani has since said: “She is the star, she just took over the stage, she’s so sweet.
“I never thought the video would get so big but the views just kept growing and growing.”
Featured image: Supplied
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Apple users urged to update devices after security flaw is ‘actively exploited’ by hackers
Emily Sergeant
Apple has admitted it is aware of reports of serious security vulnerabilities for iPhones, iPads and Macs, and is urging users to update their devices.
In its latest security reports, the global tech company acknowledged that the issue could make it possible for hackers to take complete control of devices, and admitted that it was “aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited”.
Devices thought to be potentially affected include iPhones6S and later models, several models of the iPad – including the 5th generation and later – all iPad Pro models and the iPad Air 2, and Mac computers running MacOS Monterey.
The issue also affects some iPod models, according to security experts.
In the security update on its support page, Apple said one of the flaws means a malicious application “may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges”.
Apple users are being urged to update devices after reports a security flaw may have been “actively exploited” by hackers / Credit: Unsplash | Jason Goodman (via Unsplash)
Apple’s explanation of the vulnerability means a hacker could get “full admin access to the device” so that they can “execute any code as if they are you, the user,” according to Rachel Tobac – CEO of SocialProof Security.
Security experts are now urgently encouraging those with one of the potentially at-risk devices to make sure all updates are carried out.
While Apple has not disclosed any additional details about the attacks or who may have carried them out, it’s been reported that the bugs were flagged by anonymous researchers, and the tech company has now also echoed in its newest update that “important security updates are recommended for all users”.
The tech company has admitted it is aware of reports of serious security vulnerabilities / Credit: Andreas Strandman (via Unsplash)
Ms Tobac also added that those who should be particularly attentive to updating their Apple devices and software are “people who are in the public eye” like activists or journalists who might be the targets of sophisticated nation-state spying.
Apple has also not given any further information on how many users it believes were affected.
Emily Sergeant -
17th February 2021 
