A resident has been left baffled after grass outside his home turned orange and stained his slippers.

David Breame, 77, said he was surprised when he saw a “rust-like” powder had covered the grass on the communal green.

He said he believes the strange powder is a symptom of a fungal disease known as lawn rust.

Mr Breame says he is now afraid to let his dog out in case it comes to harm because of the powder.

He said he first noticed the grass turn orange on Thursday, September 14.

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Mr Breame said: “It first appeared all over the green in orange patches but the grass seems to be dying as it is now going a brown colour.

“Straight away I knew something was wrong because I’ve been here for 20 years and I have never seen anything like this.

“I do a lot of gardening in my spare time and that is a completely weird colour to get and it reminds me of ‘Agent Orange’ which was used in Vietnam.”

Agent Orange was a chemical weapon used in the Vietnam War by the USA to destroy forestation and route out enemy forces.

Mr Breame has said he is now worried about his beloved hound.

He said: “I usually take my dog out there but I haven’t at the moment as I have kept him in out of safety. I would be furious if anything happened to my dog as it’s not about the bills but the loss of my friend.”

One casualty of the strange event has been Mr Breame’s slippers which have been stained and ruined as a result.

Mr Breame said: “This residue which is picked up on our shoes and is quite a strange colour. It has ruined my slippers and it has also claimed other people’s shoes such as my neighbour whose brand new trainers have been ruined. My slippers cost £20 so I am annoyed that they are ruined.”

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In a statement, South Swindon Parish Council said the residue is probably lawn dust which has temporary symptoms.  A spokesperson for the council said: “This is usually prominent in wet summers and in early autumn when heavy dew provides extended periods of wetness.

“There are no fungicides available to gardeners with recommendations for the control of diseases on lawns. Even grass that is heavily infected in autumn will usually produce healthy growth by early summer of the following year.

“We will be cutting the grass soon to reduce the number of infected leaves. This has been noted across Park South and we will keep an eye on the grass during the autumn period.”

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