Cardiff Council is asking residents to take pictures of dog poo in their local area and send the pictures through to the Council through the Cardiff Gov App.

The Cardiff App is easy to download by visiting the Google Play Store of Apple's App store and searching ‘Cardiff Gov'.

Using geo-tagging software, the Council is then able to target hotspot areas with adequate resources to remove this potentially dangerous waste from the streets of Cardiff more efficiently.

Cllr Michael Michael, Cabinet Member for Clean Streets, Environment and Recycling said: "Dog mess on our streets is unsightly, unpleasant and anti-social. It is also completely unnecessary, as if people tidied up after their animals, there wouldn't be dog mess on the streets of Cardiff to photograph.

"Animal faeces are also a danger to other dogs and humans. In dogs, Parvo disease can be transferred between animals which can be fatal.

"In humans, if either soil or sand which is contaminated with infected animal faeces is ingested into the human body, it can lead to toxocariasis, which is caused by a parasite called Roundworm and commonly affects children between the age of one and four.

"We ask all dog owners to clean up after their animal and if they see other animal mess on roads, parks or other open space, take a photo with your smart phone and send it through to us through the Cardiff App."

The new Pap the Poop initiative is part of the city's ongoing drive to clean up the city and create a sense of pride in communities across Cardiff through the Love Where You Live Campaign.

Dog owners are required by law to clean up after their pet and those who are caught not cleaning up after their animal face a Fixed Penalty Notice of £100. This can increase to £1,000 if the case is referred to the Magistrates' Court for prosecution.

Councillor Michael continued, "The new Cardiff App is a quick and easy way to report issues to the Council. We can then use the technology which is available to us to best effect which helps us deliver services more efficiently."

To keep up to date on the new initiative, residents can keep up to date on the campaign by following #papthepoop on Twitter@cardiffcounciland Facebook through@cardiff.council1