A WOMAN was found guilty of not picking up dog poo after a neighbour captured her on a smartphone and reported it.

Michelle Penny was hauled before Worthing Magistrates Court last week accused of allowing one of her dogs to defecate on a footpath near her parents’ house in Meadow Road.

No attempt was made to pick up the mess and Penny, 59, from Worthing, walked past the poo as if nothing happened.

She was found guilty in her absence of breaching the fouling of the land dog order and was fined £200, told to pay £244 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

But Ms Penny remained defiant yesterday after telling The Argus the incident never happened. However video footage recorded by a disgruntled neighbour clearly shows her failing to pick up the mess.

She said: “It’s a load of old lies, it wasn’t true. I always pick up my dog’s mess so people don’t have a go at me.

“They came with a summons telling me I had to go to court.”

Asked why she never attended court, Ms Penny said: “Why should I go to court for something I haven’t done?”

Ms Penny’s conviction comes as Worthing Borough Council declared it is taking a stronger stance against dog fouling in the streets of the town.

Councillor Clive Roberts, executive member for the environment at Worthing Borough Council, said: “I am very pleased about this successful prosecution of Ms Penny for failing to pick up her dog’s mess.

“There has been a lot of discussion on Facebook lately about the problem of irresponsible dog owners, quite rightly so, however it is only a small minority of owners and it is incredibly difficult to catch people. It is not the dogs’ fault – just anti-social owners.”

Dog poo can be particularly dangerous as it is prone to containing worms and harmful bacteria which, if left unattended, can contaminate water, soil, and even cause infection in both pets and humans.