DOG owners who refuse to pick up their pets' mess and litterbugs are set to be hit with fines as of next week.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council is bringing in a private environmental enforcement firm to help tidy up the town in a pilot scheme.

Patrols were due to start in the autumn but the introduction has been delayed.

As of Monday, two patrol officers will operate in the borough and will be issuing fines to people caught dropping litter including cigarette butts, vandals spraying graffiti and those not clearing up after their dogs. They will also target traders who fail to make sure that rubbish is stored and disposed of correctly.

Officers, who will wear body cameras, can issue £75 fines.

Patrols to target dog fouling in particular have been welcomed by Cllr James Farquharson, who says he has “no sympathy” for those who get fined for dog fouling.

He said: “Many people show respect to others but there is a good proportion of people who don’t respect others and now there is a much better chance of them being caught and fined.

“It’s a shame that it’s had to come to this but people need to learn that it is not okay to leave dog poo on pavements or on the beach. Now there is a much better chance of getting caught and I have no sympathy with those who do.”

Currently, the council's dog warden service has one full-time and one part-time position.

According to Cllr Farquharson, only two fixed penalty notices have been issued in the past four years.

He said: "At the moment, there are one and a half officers and they have lots of areas of responsibility. There’s been almost no chance of getting caught breaching these orders.

"That will all change on Monday. Now that there will be two more, I expect more people getting caught. The people who have been getting away with dog fouling, littering and breaching public space protection orders now stand a better chance of getting caught.

“If they need this hanging over their heads to stop them from doing it then I welcome this."

Officers will focus on the town centre but will patrol other areas of the borough.

Cllr Farquharson, borough councillor for Preston, says an "overwhelming" number of residents have contacted him about dog fouling and so he will ask for patrols in the area.

“There is anger among the community that these few people have been making such a mess of the town," he said.