There was foul play in Keighley town hall when Bonzo the dog came to town.

Bonzo, the mascot of Bradford council's dog warden service, helped launch a new crackdown on dog fouling.

Under new laws it is an offence for people to let their dogs foul footpaths, parks, play areas, grass verges and greens. Anyone who does not clean up their dog's mess will have to pay a fixed penalty of £25 or face a fine of up to £1,000.

Keighley people were invited to the yesterday's official launch to find out how the council plans to enforce the laws. Residents were able to highlight areas where anti-fouling action should be taken and suggest where warning signs should be placed.

The ban applies to most council land to which the public have access by right, as well as some private land such as canal towpaths. It does not apply to agricultural land, woodland, marshes, moors, common land or the verges of roads with speed limits of more than 40mph.

Cllr Thorne says the ban is important because fouling is a health hazard. He does not believe it is unreasonable to ask people to pick up dog dirt and take it home with them.

in a plastic bag.

He adds: 'People must do what they do in most other civilised countries. If this happened in Germany their feet wouldn't touch the ground.

'The vast majority of dog owners are responsible but on a lot of streets some people don't care less.'

Councillor Thorne says offenders are likely to be caught because dog wardens and park rangers will patrol around Keighley.

Dog owners who let their dogs out on their own will still be liable if their animals are seen fouling.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.