A council is to spend £20,000 a year to use high-tech DNA testing to catch irresponsible dog owners who fail to pick up after their pets.

Thanet council is launching the DNA registration scheme this month as part of its zero-tolerance approach to dog fouling.

The system, which will be phased in over the next eight months, invites owners to register their pets on a DNA database.

But once registered, the owners can then be 'hounded' by the council if their dog's DNA is a match.

To run the scheme for a year it will cost £20,000, which will be funded through fines paid from enforcement action.

The council says the visible effects of irresponsible dog ownership are "all too easy to recognise", impacting on businesses, communities and the local authority.

Trevor Kennett, Interim Head of Operational Services said: "Cost to business comes through people not visiting areas where there is a problem with dog waste and resultant loss in trade.

"Clean up costs to the council can be reduced through owners disposing of dog waste responsibly. Reducing costs will enable the council to run more efficient waste and recycling services to the benefit of business as well as residents.".

Cllr Suzanne Brimm says as well as helping to clean up Thanet, the DNA scheme will also help combat dog thefts, puppy farming and parasitic diseases spread by dog poo.

The cabinet member for operational services said: "Dog DNA registration has been proven elsewhere to be very effective as the centrepiece of a zero tolerance approach to the minority of irresponsible dog owners who still don’t pick up after their dog.

"Thanet District Council has also recognised the wider benefits that dog DNA registration may provide.

"These include tackling pet theft through positive proof of ownership using DNA, tackling unscrupulous puppy farms through traceability of puppies, and improved health and wellbeing for residents and visitors through reducing uncollected dog waste being encountered in open spaces, resulting in reduced prevalence of parasitic diseases such as toxocariasis."

However, the proposed scheme has been questioned by one Thanet pet organisation.

Debbie Channing, from TAG Pet Rescue, Margate, said: "We are a little unsure of this rather strange idea. The guilty parties are going to be the ones who don't register so then it would be pointless.

"The ones who do register would pick up after their dogs anyway so again, pointless.

"As for dog thefts, would there be a national data base that would log the dog's DNA details and address, or would it just be a local database?

"I'm not sure that we understand how it would stop puppy farming - perhaps we could suggest something much more effective such as a five year compulsory neutering scheme for non licensed dog breeders to give us worn out rescues a well deserved rest.

"In turn it would be saving thousands of innocent lives from being born only to be killed through irresponsible breeding while in the mean time reducing the amount of dog deposits.

"All responsible people neuter their pets and pick up their dog poop so lets make all the irresponsible ones neuter theirs and pick up their dog poop too!".

There will be a three-month pilot period, including a public consultation, and dog owners will be encouraged to voluntarily register their dog’s DNA free of charge for the first 500 registrations.

Trevor Kennett said: "This is part of a campaign to reduce the amount of dog waste fouling our streets and open spaces.

"Time and time again dog waste comes up in residents surveys as a prime concern.

"Dog fouling is a public offence and the amount of unbagged dog waste that needs to be collected in Thanet shows that there are many dog owners who do not clean up after their dogs, yet who if asked, would say that they are responsible owners.

"We are currently identifying where the dog fouling hotspots are, and a project team of council officers, residents and commercial partners will be working on the detail of how the scheme will be rolled out during May, June and July".

The council says the pilot will allow people to experience the new service and contribute to how it works, as well as helping the authority assess the extent of dog fouling in Thanet.

Following this three-month pilot scheme, the council will use evidence gathered during the trial to review how penalties for dog fouling can be most effective.

The scheme is a partnership between the council, Streetkleen and BioPet Laboratories.