Ken Williams is a man with a mission, to clean up Oxford’s parks and open spaces.

That’s because he is Oxford City Council’s dog warden and from November will have new powers to deal with people and their pets.

They include an increase in fines from £50 to £80 and the power to order owners to put their dogs on a lead.

Anyone taking more than four dogs for walks could also face a fine.

Mr Williams, 47, said: “The new orders give us a little bit more authority. The main one is the power to direct owners to put their dogs on a lead – if the dog is well-behaved there is not a problem.”

Earlier this month the Oxford Mail revealed the city council had only issued four fines for dog fouling since April.

Mr Williams, who has been working with the city council for about 16 years, took us on a trip around the city to show us the problem.

He said: “A lot of people don’t realise we have to be there and witness dog fouling to issue a fine.”

And while we were out with him, he caught one dog in the act in Blackbird Leys Park and fined its owner.

The woman cleaned up the mess and said: “To be honest there are loads of them who come over here and poo. I seem to be the unlucky one.”

Mr Williams said: “I don’t think there is an excuse.

“Picking up dog fouling is part of the responsibility of owning a dog.”

He said dog owners who are registered blind are the only people exempt from penalties.

Mr Williams has a long list of duties, from handing out fines to licensing pet shops.

His service was recently awarded the Golden Footprint by the RSPCA animal charity for its treatment of stray dogs.

And he is more than clear who is to blame if Oxford has a problem with owners who can’t take care of their pets.

He said: “It is a lack of education on the owners’ part. If you get responsible owners you get less dogs that go into kennels,.

“The majority of dog owners are responsible, but a lot of people get dogs and have no idea what the breed is about.”