Roman wall faces modern threat - 27th April 2026

Dog walkers are putting Hadrian's Wall at risk. They're endangering the ancient monument by stuffing poo bags in between the stones, according to archaeologists.

Beyond the unsightly visual effect, they're concerned that chemicals and micro-plastics are being absorbed from the poo bags into the stones. This results in alterations to the chemical make-up of the stones, which accelerates their decay.

This iconic Roman structure, constructed at the command of Emperor Hadrian in 122 CE, marked the northern border of the Roman province of Britannia. Stretching 117.5 kilometres across modern day northern England, the wall became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1987.

It was designed both to control movement and trade and to separate Britannia from the so-called 'barbarian' tribes of the north. It took 15,000 Roman soldiers 6 years to build and remained operational for nearly three centuries.

Attracting over 750,000 visitors annually, the majority of these are respectful of Hadrian's Wall's unique historical significance. However, increasingly some dog owners are showing a total disregard for this 1,900-year-old monument.

It's too much for Margaret Anderson, head ranger of Northumberland national park. "For somebody to think it's acceptable to wedge poo bags into a UNESCO World Heritage site, well actually, it makes you quite sad."

Mark Newman is an archaeologist for the National Trust. He says, "this kind of littering risks accelerating the decay of the structure and undermining its long-term conservation".

While the lack of bins along the length of the wall may seem an excuse to some dog owners, park authorities do not want to see such modern structures pollute the landscape. Other, responsible dog owners have described the offenders as "simply lazy," and the situation as "absolutely horrific". They acknowledge that picking up poo bags "is just what you do."