RESIDENTS in Hyndburn are being urged to map dog mess hot spots in a bid to crack down on irresponsible pet owners.

With the help of the dog mess map, the borough's dog warden, Steve Wood, will be able to target problem areas.

At a meeting of Oswaldtwistle Area Council he told residents that people who do not scoop their pooch's poop receive a written warning, followed by a verbal warning.

And if they persist after that they risk being given a fixed penalty notice carrying a fine of £50.

He said: "Dog fouling is a season problem. From around October through to March we get about ten complaints a day because of the limited light. If owners don't see their dog fouling, they don't pick it up.

"But 99.9 per cent of people are responsible dog owners and they do pick it up. It is the minority that don't."

Mr Wood told the meeting that one irresponsible person letting their dog foul could be responsible for a many as 21 droppings a week.

He said: "If an area is particularly bad it is often just one person who is responsible."

Council leader and chairman of Oswaldtwistle Area Council, Coun Peter Britcliffe, said: "All our area councils are going to be discussing dog fouling.

"There will be maps up for people to identify problem sites. While dog fouling is a problem, it is not as widespread as it used to be. There is far more social responsibility than there used to be.

"We tend to have problems in specific areas and we are anxious to identify those problem areas and then get Steve Wood to target them."

Anyone who wants to report a dog owner for not picking up and disposing of their pet's mess in a bin is asked to telephone Hyndburn Council on 01254 388111 and ask for the dog warden service.