HUNDREDS of "doggy bags" are being doled out to pet owners as the council purge on dog fouling continues.

Special canisters containing 20 plastic poop bags will be given to dog owners free of charge in the coming weeks as town hall dog wardens and Bolton's dog control officer patrol the streets.

The latest moves follow a courtroom crackdown which has seen hefty fines handed out to dog owners who contravened new regulations by allowing their pets to foul and failing to clean up.

Four people have already been landed with large fines following a Bolton magistrates hearing last week and 12 others are due to go before the courts following alleged breaches of the Dog (Fouling of Land) Act 1996.

But council chiefs insist they are not out to deliberately catch people breaking the new by-laws and say they want to hand out the freebie "green" bag canisters to help clean up the town.

Cllr Eric Johnson, chairman of the council's environment and consumer sub-committee, has welcomed the introduction of the "bag it and bin it" campaign.

He added: "Dog fouling in Bolton is a problem but hopefully through education it's one that can be contained in the future.

"The council are really concerned about this issue. A lot of complaints to councillors are about dog fouling and the new laws set by the Government are expecting local authorities to do something about it.

"These new dog mess bags will help us address this problem."

The town hall initiative comes as dog mess continues to plague playing areas in the town.

Environmental health officers have revealed that young soccer players who use the Shepherd Cross Street recreation ground, in Brownlow Fold, even have to complete a "bucket patrol" clearing the dirt from the pitch before a match can take place. The free canisters containing the plastic bags will be available from next week.

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