The owner of a dog who failed to pick up his dog's mess has been ordered to pay almost £900.
The man was taken to court after failing to pay a fixed penalty notice of £100, which the council sent him after his neighbour reported his behaviour.
The eagle-eyed woman had spotted his dog doing a poo outside her house and waited to see if the owner was going to pick it up.
He failed to do so and when she approached him and offered a poo bag to pick up the waste, he simply ignored her and left.
She then managed to figure out where the man lived before taking the issue to Plymouth City Council, PlymouthLive reports.
When he failed to pay the fixed penalty notice issued by the council, he was taken to court, where he was found guilty and ordered to pay a total of £885 in fines and costs.
It comes after a council crackdown on owners not acting responsibly and clearing up after their canines.
Last year it was revealed dog walkers who fail to pick up after their hounds while out getting their 'essential' exercise during the first coronavirus lockdown risked getting fined.
Plymouth City Council said its environmental enforcement officers were set to hit the city’s streets and parks in a bid to curb a recent increase in dog fouling.
A council spokesperson said: "Since social distancing measures were introduced, the council has seen a rise in reported cases of owners failing to pick up after their pooches.
"At the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, enforcement was not deemed an essential service. However, because of the hazardous nature of dog waste and its dangers to children, officers will be back on patrol from Monday.
"Uniformed and plain clothed officers will be patrolling areas of the city where complaints have been received."
Earlier this month PlymouthLive reported on a pop-up ‘poo protest’ planned for Burrator Reservoir by Dartmoor residents who are fed up at the sight and smell of bags of dog excrement left hanging on their fences.
The current Covid pandemic has led to a plague of pooch poo bags appearing around Burrator lake - which provides the source of drinking water for the city of Plymouth.
The popular beauty spot has been overwhelmed on many occasions during the Coronavirus crisis by people seeking the fresh air of Dartmoor to exercise and to walk their dogs.
But farmers and residents of nearby Dartmoor communities are becoming annoyed and concerned at the proliferation of bags containing dog mess left behind by visitors.
