A man who refused to pick up after his dog is prepared to go to court to dispute the �50 fine he received.

IPSWICH: A man who refused to pick up after his dog is prepared to go to court to dispute the �50 fine he received.

John Bristow, 67, who occasionally walks with a stick, was unable to bend down to remove his dog's mess because he suffers from severe back pain.

Sandy, the three-year-old lhasa apso, is made to foul in the middle of the road, due to Mr Bristow's back troubles.

However, at 7am on November 6, Mr Bristow was caught short while walking his four-legged friend on Portman Road in Ipswich when a council worker ordered him to pick up the messs.

After explaining that he was unable to do so, Mr Bristow gave the council worker his details and on November 13 he received a fine of �50.

In protest of the penalty, the former engineer called the council to discuss the matter further.

He was then advised to put an appeal in writing however an outraged Mr Bristow explained that he suffers from dyslexia and would struggle to do so.

Mr Bristow, of Geneva Road, said: “Because I suffer from a lot of back troubles, when she goes to the toilet I get her to go in the middle of road so that no one will stand in it or slip over.”

“If she had of gone on the pavement, then I would have done my best to pick it up or knock it into the road.

“I believe that my life would have been in danger if I'd of stopped in the middle of the road and tried to pick it up.”

If the fine does not get paid before November 24, Mr Bristow is liable to be taken to court where he could be fined up to �1,000.

Mr Bristow, who also suffers from bi-polar and diabetes, later added: “I refuse to pay this fine because I can understand fining someone for littering but not this.

“If a horse had of done it, the owner wouldn't be expected to clean it up. If someone keeps pigeons and when they are released they poo everywhere, the owner isn't expected to sort it out.”

Glynis Wood, the Clean Neighbour Team Leader for Ipswich, said “If a dog fouls then it is the duty of the walker to clean the mess up.

“During this incident we could see no evidence of the offender's inability to bend over and clean up the mess - he was therefore fined.”

“To leave dog mess fairly near to the entrance of a school is just unacceptable and selfish.”