'London worst for dog mess fines'

London councils have the worst record in the country for prosecuting pet owners who let their dogs foul the streets, says a survey.

London imposed just 13 of the 1,376 fines handed out nationally in the five-month period from November 2003, according to Keep Britain Tidy.

The study found North West councils accounted for a third of the country's fines, and Yorkshire handed out 209. The campaign said more councils should prosecute irresponsible owners to keep streets clean.

A couple of years ago there really was a feeling that enough was enough but laziness has crept back Alan Woods, Keep Britain Tidy

Of the 96 people to go before magistrates, 47 were from the North West and 13 from the South West.

Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Alan Woods said prosecution figures were patchy.

"A couple of years ago there really was a feeling that enough was enough and that nobody was prepared to put up with dog poo on their streets any longer," he said.

"But laziness has crept back again and if we really want to rid our land of this problem we must campaign relentlessly until there isn't a single bit of fouling left on public land."

The study showed 53,000 complaints were made to councils in England last year and the annual clean-up cost was £22m.

Some councils set up hotlines to handle complaints and around 73% ran poster campaigns and education drives.

Allowing dogs to foul public land, is punishable by £50 on-the-spot fines or up to £1,000 in the magistrates' court.