Dog owners could be fined £100 if they fail to take a poo bag out with them, under measures introduced by a Midlands council.

Daventry District Council says its Public Spaces Protection Order will target the small number of irresponsible dog owners who persistently fail to pick up after their pet, creating a mess as well as a health hazard.

It means dog walkers risk a £100 fine and potentially prosecution if they do not clear up after their pet or carry the means for doing so.

It also means they must stop their dog from entering a fenced-off playground and put it on a lead when a council officer tells them to.

The council says enforcement of the new rules will focus on education at first, with people who break the new rules being reminded of their responsibilities by council officers.

The decision to implement the order was made after a public consultation revealed strong support for it.

Mike Warren, health and housing portfolio holder on Daventry District Council, said the council received more than 100 complaints a year about dog fouling which posed a real health hazard, especially to young children.

'We’ve introduced a number of innovative ideas and campaigns to tackle the problem, and those have proved effective in the main.

'But we still have a small minority of persistent offenders that we are keen to stop.

'This new order gives us greater powers to take effective action against those irresponsible dog owners who do not pick up after their pets.'