A parish council has proposed plans to use DNA testing on dog waste in a bid to catch owners who allow their pets to soil the pavement.

Councillors sitting on Sundridge with Ide Hill Parish Council in Kent discussed the plans after hearing a string of complaints from locals in the villages.

Villagers living in Sundridge and Ide Hill, about five miles from Sevenoaks, complained inconsiderate pet owners were "ruining the area".

The council plans to collect DNA from waste and use it to prosecute anti-social owners.

Although never before used in the UK, DNA testing on dog mess has been used in Germany and the USA with databases being created for persistent offenders. The mess can be matched to individual dogs.

Waste is matched against samples of fur or saliva taken from dogs.

Owners must give consent for the DNA sample to be taken from their pet, but once they are on the database their behaviour can be logged for their entire lifetime.

Meanwhile, Scottish pet owners who refuse to clean up after their dogs are being targeted by Highland Council.

The local authority has launched a new poster campaign to encourage members of the public to notify it of persistent offenders.

People who do not clean up after their pets can be fined up to £60.

The problem has dogged the council for a number of years. In the past rewards were offered to those who properly cleaned up and disposed of poo.

Last year, the local authority adopted a scheme started in Falkirk, which involves volunteers wearing green wrist bands to show they have pledged to clear up after their dogs.

The volunteers also carry spare bags for other walkers to use.