Madrid police: Clean up your dog's poo or clean the streets

Dog owners in Spain's capital Madrid who do not pick up their pet's poo could be made to work as street cleaners, under new plans unveiled by Madrid city hall.

Offenders will be fined €1,500 (£1160) or have the option to clean streets for a few days as a substitute, Madrid City Hall said in a statement.

Municipal police will test the scheme in the two city districts were the biggest concentration of dog excrement has been found, AFP reported.

Madrid City Hall said that despite repeated public awareness campaigns, including the distribution of millions of free bags to collect dog poo, there is still excrement in parks, streets and other public spaces.

Last year, the north-eastern city of Tarragona announced plans to use DNA analysis of dog excrement to track down dog owners who failed to clean up after their pooches.