A MAN who refused to clean up after the dog he was walking fouled a park has been hit with a £350 bill.

And in two separate cases, two dog owners who let their pets roam the streets have also been hit with huge fines.

Now council chiefs in Tameside are warning dog owners to keep it clean after dog patrols launched a crackdown on dog fouling,

Steven Taylor, 50, from Ashton under Lyne, was walking his brother's mongrel Sky when he was stopped by enforcement officers.

Tameside magistrates were told he refused to pick up the dog's mess as he walked it on playing fields in Dukinfield.

He then failed to pay a fixed penalty notice and failed to turn up when the case was brought before magistrates.

He was found guilty in his absence, fined £200 and ordered to pay £155 costs. It is the first prosecution of its kind in Tameside.

But Mr Taylor, of Benjamin Street, claims he knew nothing of the court case. He also claims he picked up the dog's mess and put it in the bin.

He said after the hearing: "I found an empty bread bag and put it in there. Then I put it in the bin. It was right in front of a CCTV camera."

The court heard Mr Taylor, a full-time carer, was spotted by patrollers on January 15 letting the dog foul Blocksages playing fields then walking away, leaving the dog mess behind.

Refused

Magistrates were told he was cautioned and asked to pick it up but refused and was given a fixed penalty notice.

But Mr Taylor said when he was approached at home by the Manchester Evening News: "This is crazy. I told the patroller I'd pick it up on my way back. She said, `fair enough'. She asked for my name and I gave it to her. I had nothing to hide. I'd done nothing wrong. She said nothing would happen.

"How can they do this? I picked it up and put it in the bin right in front of a CCTV camera. I've not heard anything since. I didn't know anything about the court case. I'm can't believe I've been fined £350."

Coun John Taylor, who deals with the issue dog fouling in his role as co-ordination services chief, also vowed to prosecute offenders.

He said: "I'm pleased that the process the council has got in place is working.

"Catching people is very difficult. The patrollers have told us that when people see them they do pick it up. One man used his sock to do it because he didn't have anything else and one man used a £20 note.

"But this sends out a clear message to others and it's not a one-off. We've made dog fouling a priority and if they don't pay the fixed penalty we will prosecute."