Revolted at the amount of dogs’ muck on Whitstable streets, a mystery activist has planted flags in the piles or circled them with chalk.

Messages such as “take it with you”, “disgusting” and “dog poo” have appeared next to dog excrement in Clare Road.

And in the footpath between Cromwell Road and Reservoir Road, flags have been stuck in the excrement urging owners to clean up the mess.

The flags in the poo claim that dog owners “are being watched” and face being fined £400.

But according to Canterbury City Council’s website, owners caught allowing their dogs to foul can be hit with an £80 fixed penalty notice and offenders who end up being taken to magistrates’s court could wind up being fined up to £1,000.

Dog mess should be placed in one of the city council’s specially marked red bins, but can also be placed in an ordinary litter bin provided it is bagged and sealed.

For the full story, see this week's Whitstable Gazette.

Can you come up with a nickname for the mystery dog dirt activist? Do you know who the person is? Email whitstablegazette@thekmgroup.co.uk or phone the newsdesk on 01227 475985.