AN undercover operation to tackle a case of dog fouling turned out to be a real shocker.
For it wasn’t man’s best friend that was messing on the pavement - but a man himself!
And stunned council officials caught him with his pants down on CCTV.
Kirklees Council's 'dog fouling squad' were investigating a complaint in the Cleckheaton area but discovered - on closer examination - that the culprit was not a dog but a man.
Officials found the man had regularly stopped off on his way home when he was caught short.
Clr Martyn Bolt, Cabinet member for the environment, explained: "The environmental health service received a complaint from a member of the public in Cleckheaton. The lady making the complaint suspected that the offending individual may well not have been a dog!
“An investigation confirmed the suspicions and concluded that the pile of excrement was not from a dog, but was of the human variety.
“It subsequently became apparent that this was not an isolated occasion, but appeared to be a regular stopping-off point. With the aid of a CCTV operation the culprit motorist was caught on camera with his trousers down - literally.
“It would appear that the man concerned regularly travelled between Birkenshaw and Brighouse, and instead of finding a public toilet, pulled up at the side of the road to do his 'business' there and then. It seems he regularly got 'taken short' at the same place.
“He has been traced and the matter is now in the hands of the police who, I understand, will be taking out an appropriate prosecution.”
Clr Bolt added: “There really is no excuse for this sort of unacceptable behaviour.
“In this case it may well have ended up in the 'give a dog a bad name' category had the complainant and our officers not spotted the difference!”
