Money raised from dog fouling fines should be kept by councils, according to Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant.

The Conservative MP said the cash raised should be spent on extra dog wardens and litter patrols.

Mr Fabricant presented a bill outlining his proposals in Parliament on Tuesday.

The scheme would work in the same way as the rules that allow the police to keep speeding fines to spend on extra road traffic cameras.

It is not an anti-dogs bill Michael Fabricant, MP

It is estimated that 1,000 tons of dog dirt is deposited on the UK's roads and open spaces each day.

Exposure to canine faeces can cause illness and, in extreme cases, blindness.

Mr Fabricant said that the measures he has proposed have already proved successful in trials.

He said: "Nationally, only 2,000 fixed penalty notices have been issued for dog fouling.

Michael Fabricant said he was not anti-dog

"Yet in Newcastle, which was given special dispensation to keep the revenues from fixed penalty notices instead of returning the money to the Treasury in London, the number of fixed penalty notices issued rose from just nine in 2001 to 309 in 2002."

"The streets and parks are now correspondingly cleaner and safer places."

"It is not an anti-dogs bill," the Conservative MP added.

"It will control those irresponsible dog owners who consistently allow their pets to foul footways and common land."

A fixed penalty notice fine begins at �50.