A DOG owner has had to cough up £500 after his pet fouled the pavement.

An environmental enforcement officer saw the Staffordshire terrier-type dog, belonging to Ricky Brooks of Overdown Rise, Portslade, defecating on the pavement in Lewes Road, Brighton, in November.

Brighton and Hove City Council handed Mr Brooks, 32, a £75 fixed penalty notice, which he failed to pay.

He also ignored a reminder notice and failed to appear in court on May 3.

As a result Brighton Magistrates Court increased the fine to £146 and ordered Mr Brooks to pay £300 in costs plus a £30 victim surcharge.

According to the enforcement officer’s witness statement, Mr Brooks made no attempt to clear up the mess.

He admitted the offence when approached.

Allowing a dog to foul a pavement and not clearing it up is a crime under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005.

Councillor Gill Mitchell, chairwoman of the council’s environment committee, said: “This is part of our policy to increase enforcement for environmental crimes such as dog fouling, flytipping and littering. We will always prosecute where we have evidence and we will always take people to court if they refuse to pay fixed penalty notices.

“A relatively small minority of people do a relatively large amount of damage to the environment in our neighbourhoods and we intend to pursue them.”