After seeing dog foul everywhere in his local town, 43-year-old Andrew Hawes had enough of people not clearing up after their pet - and decided to do something about it.
Now he's taken matters into his own hands and has decided to dress in camouflage, hide in bushes and film offenders to pass on to the police, who have said they will consider handing out fines.
He has set up a Facebook group for the campaign, Leiston Dog Mess Name and Shame, which now has more than 650 members – and to make local offenders even more aware, he has also had an endorsement from Hugh Grant, who wrote on Twitter: ‘My hero.’
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Andrew said: ‘We spent weeks cleaning up the neighbourhood and removed bucketloads of dog poo. Within seven days it was all back again and we thought, “enough is enough”. We want to raise awareness and make people think twice about what they’re doing. It’s not nice for families with kids. The police say it is not illegal for me to do this – it’s just like having a CCTV camera – and they will look at any evidence I give them and may issue an £80 fine.’
His day job is an HGV driver, and Hawes isn't worried about being spotted out and about, because: ‘My camouflage is so good, they won’t see me. I’m very discreet. People might think it’s a bit strange but all my family and friends think it’s great.’
The group also uses temporary paint to write warnings on pavements:
