A dog poo row has led to a man being fined £400 for having his pet at large.

David Allan Jeff did not appear in court but sent a postal admission to the offence.

Magistrates also ordered him to pay £280 prosecution costs and gave him eight weeks to pay.

Advocate Jane Gray, prosecuting on behalf of Ramsey Commissioners, told the court that the community warden was on Mooragh Promenade, at 2.45pm on August 18, when he saw a woman with her dog, which was on the BMX track.

He said that he then saw the poodle-type dog defecating in an area which was prohibited for dogs.

The warden told the woman he was going to give her a fixed penalty notice, but she replied: ‘You’re joking aren’t you? We’re camping and you’re allowed dogs.’

He told her that they were not allowed on the BMX track and she then shouted to Jeff, who was nearby: ‘Dave, this guy’s going to give me a ticket.’

The warden said that this prompted Jeff to storm over and say: ‘You are joking aren’t you? We are camping.’

Jeff then started saying ‘where does it say that?’ and repeatedly swore, calling the warden a ‘jobsworth’.

The 33-year-old then said he was going to ‘get it sorted’ and ring the commissioners.

After making a phone call, Jeff said he had been told he could put in an appeal.

The warden then asked Jeff for his name but he refused and replied: ‘You’re not getting my name. Anyone you like. John Smith. Matt Bacardi.’

He then walked off but the warden said that he appeared to pick up the faeces using some tissue.

The warden left the area without being able to obtain Jeff’s name but he was later identified in October, by Ramsey Commissioners, and sent a fixed penalty notice.

Ms Gray said the commissioners had decided not to pursue a prosecution for not picking up the dog faeces, but for having a dog at large, and that the notice had remained unpaid.

In his postal admission, Jeff, who lives at Gladstone Avenue in Ramsey, said that the fixed penalty notice had slipped his mind.

Magistrates chair Julian Ashcroft said: ‘Unfortunately, some dog owners give a lot of other dog owners a bad name.

‘The attitude to the warden, who was just doing his job, was not appropriate.

‘He could have just apologised and picked it up and that matter would have been dealt with.’