Some may say it’s barking mad, but dog owners in Co Cork could become the first in the country to be fined for not clearing up their pet’s poo if a new DNA database is introduced by the local authority.

Cork County Council is preparing to declare war on Japanese knotweed, an invasive plant which can destroy houses and which has now established itself in several parts of the county.

Local authority members want both Coillte and privately-run forestry operations to pay for damage by pounding trucks to rural roads in Cork county.