Cat poo has been voted the nation’s top gardening annoyance – according to a new survey.

The poll by online gardening retailer, GardeningExpress.co.uk quizzed more than 600 shoppers about their number one horticultural hate.

Cat mess came out as the thing guaranteed to make most gardeners see red, with almost a third, 31%, of respondents naming it as their top annoyance.

In second place came slugs and snails, scoring more than one in six, 16%, of the gardeners’ votes.

Weeds took the number three spot with 13%, closely followed in fourth by noisy neighbours on 11%.

The irritation of having neighbours whose bushes over-hang into your garden came in fifth with nine per cent of the vote.

In sixth place were balls and other toys coming over the fence with seven per cent of respondents naming it as their number one gardening gripe.

Broken fences came in seventh on six per cent closely followed in eighth by oversized trees and bushes on four per cent.

Ninth and tenth places were reserved for nosey neighbours peeping over the fence and pigeons scoring two and one per cent respectively.

One woman who took part in the survey commented: “My garden is my pride and joy. I spend hundreds of pounds each year making it look fantastic not to mention the number of man-hours I spend in it each week.

“Therefore it is infuriating to discover that all my neighbours cats have decided to use my flower beds as their communal litter tray.

“I’ve got so fed up of it now, I am almost considering chucking the mess over the fence. After all, it’s their cat, they should have to deal with its droppings.”

One man said: “My garden is my little sanctuary. I go there to unwind and relax after a busy day. Therefore, the last thing I want is to be constantly interrupted by noisy neighbours.

“Mine have just bought a trampoline for their children, and all I hear at the weekends while I try and garden peacefully is the sound springs squeaking and children scream.”

A spokesperson for GardeningExpress.co.uk commented: “Every gardener has their pet hate.

“There are many products on the market which claim to stop cats messing in your garden, but their effectiveness is at best hit and miss. However, the Pee-Off-Plant product we sell does work particularly well (http://www.gardeningexpress.co.uk/pee-off-plant).

“All gardeners face annoyances, however to achieve the perfect garden you just have to battle through them as best as you can.”

 List in full

1.     Catt mess – 31%

2.     Slugs and snails – 16%

3.     Weeds – 13%

4.     Noisy neighbours – 11%

5.     Over hanging bushes – 9%

6.     Balls coming over the fence – 7%

7.     Broken fences – 6%

8.     Oversized bushes/trees – 4%

9.     Nosey neighbours peeping over the fence – 2%

10.Pigeons – 1%