A DOG owner has been fined £400 for persistently picking up dog fouling – unfortunately, having bagged it, the excrement was then hung on local trees for public display!

The horrible procedure was played out in in Lions Gorge, Chafford Hundred where an investigation was prompted following a report from Essex Wildlife Trust.

The despicable behavour was reported to Thurrock Council's environmental enforcement service who were able to gather evidence of offences and eventually a Chafford Hundred resident was fined £400 for unlawfully disposing of bagged dog waste

The resident's behaviour had resulted in bags of waste left hanging in bushes and trees over some considerable time.

Thurrock Council leader Cllr Rob Gledhill said: "It's is disgusting that anyone, especially one of our residents, has shown complete disregard for the cleanliness of a green open space like this.

"This kind of behaviour is completely unacceptable, especially when dog mess can be disposed of in any of our public bins in Thurrock. With the council installing significantly more dual purpose waste bins across the borough there is absolutely no excuse, there are more than 40 public bins available in the Chafford Hundred area.

"Our green spaces are there for all our residents to enjoy but such behaviour makes this impossible. The vast majority of Thurrock dog owners are responsible, dispose of their pets' waste responsibly and take an active role in keeping our parks and open spaces clean and tidy.

"I'd like to thank our environment and enforcement teams for their work in this case, it is proof positive that we will always take action when we have the evidence."

The council, despite recently announcing a 'name and shame' policy for anti-social behaviour, has declined to name the guilty individual.