DOG owners are being told in no uncertain terms to clear up after their pets by a message on a seawall.

The message, written in chalk, has been scrawled on Canvey seawall, near Kellington Road, and has an arrow pointing to more than 20 bags of dog mess left nearby.

The message reads: “Whoever is doing this must be sick”.

Mary Windsor, 61, who regularly walks her pet ferrets Taz and Keira along the stretch of sea wall, is backing the mysterious graffiti artist.

She said: “It’s quite an aggressive sign, but I can understand why they did it. It’s pretty disgusting that people go to the trouble of picking up their dog’s mess and then just throw it down.

“This particular spot seems to be very popular, there’s always bags of dog mess left there.”

The route, along Benfleet Creek between Kellington Road and Benfleet, is a popular spot for dog walkers, with scores using it every day.

Mrs Windsor, of Amid Road, Canvey, said there were no bins along the 1.5-mile route, and thinks this is why walkers are choosing to dump the dog mess.

She said: “It’s no excuse, but I’m sure people don’t like to carry it around with them all that way on a hot summer’s day.

“Perhaps if the council put a bin up somewhere it would help.”

Peter Burch, Castle Point councillor for leisure, said: “Obviously we will clear it up right away. The issue with Canvey’s seawall is it’s a very long stretch and it’s a question of how often you put the bins, but we will look at that particular area again.”

Castle Point Council is also set to introduce dog control orders, which mean people caught failing to clean up after animals could face a fine of up to £1,000.

The chalk notice is the second vigilante sign to be written in Kellington Road in a week.

Last Saturday, angry residents erected a large wooden sign that reads Don’t deal Drugs Here Please, as they claim the road is plagued with drug dealers.

The sign has since been taken down and it is not believed to be connected with the dog mess warning.

Mrs Windsor added: “It did make me smile. There must be some very angry people in Kellington Road.”