Dog owners who fail to clean up after their pets in Chatteris are being targeted by council patrols.

Fenland District Council is putting up extra signs and posters are being put up in popular dog walking areas and extra patrols are being carried out in hotspot areas by council officers and private enforcement company Kingdom.

The additional patrols will be carried out in the early morning and late afternoon/early evening and others will specifically focus initially on open spaces in Chatteris, where there are frequently more reports of dog fouling.

Anyone caught failing to clean up after their dog by an officer - or reported to the council by a witness - could be issued with a £75 fixed penalty notice.

The action comes following a rise in the number of dog-related service requests over the winter months.

Peter Murphy, Fenland's portfolio holder for the environment, said: 'It is unacceptable for dog owners to flout the law and ignore their responsibilities to clean up after their pet. Dog fouling on public land is a nuisance and also poses a significant health risk to others.

'By increasing our enforcement work around dog offences we hope to reduce dog fouling and also change people's attitudes and behaviour for the better.

Fenland District Council launched its Tidy Fenland campaign last summer to crackdown on environmental crimes including littering, dog fouling and fly-tipping.

The campaign coincided with the launch of dog control Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs), which made it an offence not to clean up after your dog. Under the orders, it is also an offence to have a dog off the lead in certain areas and in enclosed play areas.

Anyone who witnesses a dog owner fail to clean up after their pet is urged to report it via: streetscene@fenland.gov.uk or online at: http://fenland.gov.uk/dogfouling.