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If you've ever had the misfortune of stepping in dog mess then you'll know how disgusting it can be.

Well, those in charge of a city in Italy are so disgusted by the dog mess in their streets, that they've come up with an unusual solution.

Owners have been ordered to have their pets DNA tested.

The idea is that any poo not picked up by owners would be collected, tested, and then a database of doggie DNA will be able to tell them poo-dunnit!

Paolo Zambotto, who is in charge of the veterinary department in Bolzano, says they receive a few hundred complaints each year about public land and "more than half are for dogs".

Once the culprit has been found and the owner has been traced, they will be fined between €50 to €500 (£43 to £430).

Dog owners who refuse to have their pooch's DNA on the system could also been fined up to €1,048 (£900).

The database for the northern Italian city, and its surrounding towns, is expected to include around 40,000 dogs, though so far only 10,000 pets have been registered.

Dog owners will have to register their dog's DNA from around late March by having their pet's blood tested at dog shelters and vets.

Tourists and other non-residents in the area won't have to have their pets DNA on the database.

Paolo Zambotto says that other cities in the country have been in contact and could potentially take on the law too.