SPECIALIST “poovers” that suck up dog dirt are set to be deployed in Scotland.
Edinburgh Council is considering introducing the machines in a bid to crack down on the dog mess menace.
The poovers are built into a motorbike manned by a warden who scours the streets looking for dog faeces which is first sprayed and then sucked up.
The 125cc bikes have previously been used in the London borough of Islington to help clean up the streets.
They can remove up to 25 litres of dog mess before emptying their tanks.
Other possibilities being considered by Edinburgh Council include an increase in fines, extended patrols and weekly publication of the number of fixed penalty notices.
A city of Edinburgh Council spokeswoman said: “We are now giving this further careful thought before reaching any decisions.”
An insider later confirmed: “It’s one of several measures we are considering. It is part of a much bigger picture.”
It was reported yesterday that each of the Capital’s wardens had given out only one Fixed Penalty Notice for dog fouling every six months.
Councillor Lesley Hinds, the city’s environment leader, said despite awareness campaigns some members of the public were still persistent offenders.
She said: “I think Edinburgh has improved and there are far more people who are responsible and are picking up after their dogs.
“But there is also a persistent minority (of offenders) and we need to be really hard and say it’s a zero tolerance approach to dog fouling in Edinburgh.
“Over the last year, there has been a recorded drop of 40 per cent in dog complaints. and we’ve been doing campaigns, such as Dish the Dirt and Don’t Blame the Dog, which have helped.
“Enforcement is one of the key issues, but so is working together with local constituents.”
