stink in the city.

The move comes after a minority of the 30 horse and buggy operators have been flouting the law in allowing droppings to dirty the roads -- causing complaints from pedestrians.

The Corporation of Hamilton says it will take offenders to court or even ban them from the city if they do not desist in leaving their calling card on the roads.

Corporation Secretary Roger Sherratt said the problem surrounded the diapers that horses are required to wear to comply with a law brought in four years ago to specifically deal with the issue.

"It is a few really difficult drivers who are making life hard for everybody else,'' he said. "The majority keep their horses in good shape but there are one or two who are being very difficult.'' "It is because they have to clean the diaper. We have issued a warning to quite a few of the drivers who are causing problems but this is the final straw.

"If we get evidence that horses are not wearing diapers, we will not hestitate to prosecute or ban them from the city.'' Mr. Sherratt said the culprits are either not fitting the diaper correctly or pulling it back when the horse is ready to drop, allowing the manure to hit the street.

In addition he said some carriage drivers are releasing their droppings or taking the diaper off as soon as they pass out of the city limits.

The incidents -- which were worse on Par-la-Ville Road, Bermudiana Road and Front Street -- are perplexing officials who have provided a diaper emptying facility and running water on Front Street.

The problem had been all but eradicated from Hamilton's streets when a law was passed in 1994 to make it mandatory for the horses to wear a diaper. It was brought in after a series of incidents in the city had made the droppings a major issue.

ENVIRONMENT ENV