DOG owners who allow their pets to foul pavements and litter louts are to face tougher fines if they are caught despoiling Darlington's streets.

The fixed penalty fine imposed by Darlington Borough Council has been increased by 100 per cent, meaning offenders will face a £50 charge if they are caught.

The £25 fine had been in force since January 1998, running alongside a campaign to educate the public about the problem and reduce the amount of litter and dog excrement on the town's streets.

An extra incentive to discourage offenders was put in place earlier this year, when the authority's neighbourhood wardens were also empowered to impose fines.

The council launched the initiative after adopting the Dogs Fouling on Land Act 1996, which enforced a blanket ban on dog fouling.

Councillor Stephen Harker, the authority's cabinet member for community protection, said: "Littering and dog fouling are unsightly and expensive to clear up, and we are determined to clamp down on offenders.

"Neighbourhood wardens have now joined the team of environment wardens with the power to issue on-the-spot fines, so we now have more people out and about and able to punish culprits who are responsible for mess in the streets."

In January, the council hailed the first four years of its initiative as a success.

During the first four years, more than 100 people have been forced to pay fines for failing to clean up after their pets.

The educational aspect of the programme, which aimed to attach an anti-social stigma to dog fouling through visits to schools, is also believed by the authority to be successful.

The regulations cover every road, park, alley and public space in the borough.

However, January's news was followed by anger from residents in the Haughton area of town, who said that the banks of the River Skerne in their area were still badly affected by dog fouling problems.

Littering has also become an increasing problem in recent months, particularly on the town's Skerne Park estate.

Residents accused the council of only being concerned with the town centre.