Barry Barnes of Arundel Drive, Thornlea Park, Wick, pleaded guilty in writing to the offence of failing to remove dog faeces from designated land. He was fined £200 and ordered to pay £200 in costs to Arun District Council, and a victim surcharge of £15.

Worthing magistrates heard the offence occurred on January 30, when a patrolling dog warden saw Barnes walking two animals on the grassed area at Climping beach car park. The warden saw one of the dogs defecate on the grass in view of its owner, but Barnes did not attempt to clean up after the animal.

When approached by the dog warden he refused to give his name or address and still did not remove the offending material from the grass.

Council officials were able to trace Barnes by running a check of his car registration via the DVLA, which holds details of vehicles across the country.

Refused to co-operate

Councillor Paul Wotherspoon, Arun cabinet member for the environment said: "This sends a clear message to anyone who is irresponsible enough not to clean up after their dog, that both the council and the courts take this matter very seriously.

"In this case, not only did the owner fail to clean up after his animal, he refused to co-operate with the dog warden, whose job it is to try and make sure that our parks and streets are free of this unpleasant and unhygienic material.

"Our residents have made it clear that a clean district is one of their top priorities and we will do everything we can to make sure that inconsiderate owners do not spoil our beautiful public areas.

"Our officers have issued 46 Fixed Penalty Notices for dog fouling and litter offences in the last 12 months, but, in this instance, we chose to prosecute in the magistrates' court because of the obstructive behaviour of the defendant."

Under the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 Arun officers can issue £50 fixed penalty notices to anyone leaving their animal's waste in public. Failure to co-operate with uniformed inspectors could lead to prosecution, with a maximum fine up to £1,000 on conviction.

Mr Wotherspoon added: "Many Arun residents are responsible dog owners and I would like to thank them for their continued efforts to clean up after their animals."

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