Dog walkers who leave home without a bag for their pet's mess face £100 fines.

The penalties will be enforced regardless of whether the offender's animal makes a mess in public.

The fine is being introduced by Daventry council in Northamptonshire. It is believed to be the first local authority in Britain to try the pre-emptive measure.

If successful, the scheme, which has been welcomed by environmentalists, could be adopted by other councils.

But the Kennel Club pointed out that owners risked being fined in cases where they have already used a bag to pick up mess and have none left.

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The penalties will be enforced regardless of whether the offender's animal makes a mess in public

'We support local authorities being proactive but many are already struggling to enforce anti-fouling rules,' said a spokesman.

'Are they going to approach every single dog owner and ask to see a bag, without the owner having done anything wrong?'

Susie Rabin, of the Dogs Trust welfare charity, said: 'This is very much a sledgehammer to crack a nut as the overwhelming majority of dog owners do pick up their dog's mess. We would instead rather see time and resources spent on tackling irresponsible dog owners who are behaving in an anti-social way.'

Daventry, a Conservative-controlled council, said there had been overwhelming support for the measure.

'I sometimes wish the dog would clear up its own mess'

Under a Public Space Protection Order approved by the council last week, enforcement officers can ask owners to show they can clean up after their pet, warning them of a £100 fine and potential prosecution.

Officers would not have to show that an animal had fouled, only that its owner did not have a bag or other way of cleaning up mess. Offenders who fail to pay within seven days could face prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.

The plan was put out to public consultation earlier this year and will come into force on December 1. Officers will not enforce the fines until January and the council said walkers would be offered advice and warnings until then.

Daventry councillor Mike Warren said owners would be advised to carry extra bags to ensure they would not be caught without one if they had already cleaned up once during a walk.

He added: 'These new powers are not intended to penalise the many responsible dog owners in our district, who should be assured that our officers will be taking a common sense approach on their patrols. It's not unreasonable though, for example, to expect someone who has just arrived at a venue to walk their dog to be carrying poop bags.'

Under a Public Space Protection Order approved by the council last week, enforcement officers can ask owners to show they can clean up after their pet

Keep Britain Tidy, an environmental charity, said dog owners had a duty to clean up after their pets, saying research suggested that 90 per cent already did so

Dog waste poses a health risk, particularly to young children, because it can contain dangerous parasites.

Keep Britain Tidy, an environmental charity, said dog owners had a duty to clean up after their pets, saying research suggested that 90 per cent already did so.

A spokesman added: 'Our research shows us that the public see dog fouling as one of the most offensive forms of litter.