IRRESPONSIBLE dog owners are being warned that on the spot fines have doubled in cost as from April 1.
Under the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996, £25 fixed penalty tickets were issued to owners who failed to pick up dogs' faeces immediately and dispose of it properly.
Now the Government has increased the fine to £50.
Three on-the-spot fines have been issued already this year in West Devon.
Murray Cowley, the dog warden with West Devon Borough Council, said that the majority of dog owners in the borough were extremely good and acted responsibly.
He said: 'As always, it's just a minority who spoil it for others.
'It is our job to protect public health and it is socially unacceptable to allow dogs to foul in public places and not pick up.
'It is every dog owner's duty to do so and it is my duty to catch and fine those who do not.'