Councils are willing to take action against dog fouling.

A DOG owner has paid the penalty for failing to clear up after their pet fouled the pavements in Felixstowe – even though the incident happened at 4am.

Suffolk Coastal had been investigating complaints from residents living around the Cage Lane area of Walton about dog mess left on the paths.

Officers put up signs, carried out patrols to deter or catch offenders, and wrote to residents advising them of action that can be taken if they witness an offence.

Following a tip off, the culprit was caught in the act.

“This case just shows that even in the middle of the night, there is still the chance that those acting irresponsibly in our communities will get found out and pay the penalty,” said Andrew Nunn, cabinet member for the green environment.

“I hope this will act as both a warning and a reminder to others to call us if they see an offence occurring.”

Failure to clear up after a dog is a criminal offence, with potentially a maximum fine on conviction in court of £1,000 and a criminal record.

Fixed Penalty Notices of £80 can be issued to offenders as an alternative to being prosecuted, with the rate reduced to £60 if paid within seven days.

Mr Nunn said anyone seeing someone failing to clear up after their dog can report it on 01394 444000.

The more detail provided, the greater the chances of being able to deal with the dohg owner culprit – time, date and place of incident, names and addresses of culprit if known, and details of any vehicle used to transport the dog can all be very useful.

“Any information that helps us catch the offenders will be gratefully received, and will of course be treated with the strictest confidence,” he said.