YORKSHIRE was today named among Britain's best at dealing with the nation's biggest pet hate - dog poo.

In just six months, 210 dog owners in the region were fined £50 on the spot for not cleaning up after their pooch. And local councils are committed to spending money to make sure pavements, beaches and parks are free of the stinking mess.

Figures published today by Keep Britain Tidy show the annual cost of shovelling-up stands at £22m nationally.

And in the Yorkshire region councils were spending on average £87,000 each a year - that compares with £11,000 in the East Midlands and £73,000 in the North East.

A front page story in the Examiner last week revealed that dog poo is being dumped on the streets of Kirklees at the rate of six tonnes every day.

And the council is urging the public to come up with ideas to tackle the problem.

It will be discussed at a meeting of the Kirklees Overview and Scrutiny Panel for the Environment on December 22 at 10am in Huddersfield Town Hall. The meeting is open to the public.

Andrew Osborne, Regional Director of Keep Britain Tidy, said: "Councils in Yorkshire and the Humber are a step ahead of many others.

"They realise the way to make sure our children don't have to play in areas covered in dog faeces is to fine irresponsible owners.

"That way, they'll think twice before not cleaning up after their pet. We'd like to see this trend continue, with even more fines dished out to filthy dog owners."

The Keep Britain Tidy study showed that 3,150 complaints were made about dog dirt in the region last year.

Between November, 2003, and March, 2004, 1,376 penalties were handed to slip-shod owners across the country while 96 people went before the courts.

Mr Osborne said: "While this region is ahead when it comes to enforcement, some dog owners are still flouting the law - and while this happens, dog dirt will be present on our streets and where our children play.

"And since coming into contact with it can cause serious eye infections and even blindness, it is something everybody should worry about."