DOG owners could be fined £100 if they don’t pick up after their pets – and one councillor says he wants to go further and take dogs away from irresponsible owners.

Councillors in Oldham have agreed to consult on plans to increase the on-the-spot fine for dog fouling to the maximum charge available in law.

This would see a fixed penalty notice increase by £20, from £80 to £100.

But Liberal Democrat councillor Dave Murphy, one of the politicians that proposed the increase, said he wanted to campaign to hike fines above £100.

And he shocked the chamber by adding he would go further and ‘rehome’ dogs owned by "irresponsible" residents.

The Crompton ward representative said: “Controversially, I’m that desperate for a solution to this and I fear that there isn’t one.

“If a dog owner can’t be responsible with their dog, and they’re prepared to let it foul, for me – and I won’t be popular saying this – I’d take the dog off them and rehome it with someone who is going to be responsible for it.”

He said dog dirt was in the top three issues he is most frequently contacted about from annoyed residents.

“I think the key to it is more enforcement, higher fines,” Cllr Murphy added.

“I’d probably go even higher than a hundred quid.

“Perhaps we need to do some work where it needs to be higher because once you start issuing these fines then the message gets delivered and I think you’re on a winner.”

Fellow Lib Dem Cllr Chris Gloster, who had also proposed the measure, told the chamber action was "urgently" needed as the council was currently "failing to deliver" on the issue.

“Dog fouling is not simply a nuisance, and a case of a pile of something to be avoided,” he said.

“Fouling of public areas by dog faeces has serious public health impacts, not least by discouraging healthy outdoor play by children.

“Eggs from the parasitic dog-worm Toxocara can be released from faeces in contaminated soil, and this can be dangerous to human health.

“When ingested, larvae hatch and migrate throughout the body, causing inflammation in different organs and other health impacts such as visual impairment, sleeplessness and may be linked to epilepsy and asthma.”

He added the town hall needed to consider replacing dog bins that had been removed from across the borough, and consider providing bio-degradable bags at the start of walking hotspots.

“You only need to walk the streets for a short distance to understand why it’s an issue,” he added.

“Dog fouling degrades the sense of neighbourhood value, particularly for impoverished areas.

“We as a council need to promote change, whether that be by various ways in education, a little bit of engineering and enforcement.

“And we need to ensure that those who still flout the legislation receive the maximum penalty possible by increasing the fixed penalty notice to £100.”

However Conservative group leader, Saddleworth South ward Cllr John Hudson said he would be voting against the motion – telling members that they "already have enough laws to cover this".

Coun Hudson said: “What the Liberal Democrats should be doing is getting people to come and testify and prosecute because after one prosecution there’s no need for any of this c**p.

“This stuff in here is all electioneering and I’m going to vote against this because we already have it in our hands to sort this out.”

But Coun Gloster replied that there had been four prosecutions in the Shaw and Crompton area in the last year – proving it did not act as a deterrent.

As part of the motion passed at full council on Wednesday night, members agreed to ask the overview and scrutiny board to examine what extra powers available in legislation the town hall could adopt to tackle the problem.

And they want to work with The Dogs Trust to find ways for the council to work in partnership with them to address dog fouling, promote micro-chipping, and improve animal welfare.

A report would then be brought back to the council for further consideration at a future council meeting.

Currently across the whole borough it is an offence to fail to remove dog faeces deposited by a dog under your control.

If someone is issued with a fixed penalty notice for dog fouling, they have 14 days to pay the £80 penalty.

If no payment is received, or the notice is disputed, a court summons will be issued.

If found guilty, a culprit could be fined up to £1,000 for each offence.