In an effort to keep their promenades free from horse droppings, local officials in Blackpool proposed that horse-drawn carriages in the seaside town of north-western England be fitted for diapers.

Previously, landau drivers had volunteered to follow carriages with a bucket and shovel in their desperation to keep the tourist town clean. But apparently, council chiefs are not satisfied with the landau drivers' plan and had other ideas, ordering every landau at the seaside resort to be fitted with a rubber and plastic container to collect the droppings.

Sources said that the scheme had been previously implemented and proved successful in Great Yarmouth where 17 landaus were fitted with the 'nappies'.

Fred Jackson, a councilor at Blackpool said that "The landaus are a well known sight on the promenade, but unfortunately we do have this ongoing problem of the droppings, which can be a particular nuisance in the warm summer months."

"I'm happy to try out any suggestions that the council come up with that will keep the promenade clean," Tracey Morris¸ a landau operator commented.