Walkers protest at dog beach ban

Porthtowan was awarded a Blue Flag award for the first time in June 2005

More than 200 dogs will be taken for walkies on Saturday at a Cornish beach in protest against the annual dog ban.

Local residents are calling for a relaxation on the ban at Porthtowan so they can walk across a part of the sand with their dogs on a lead.

Carrick District Council have put the ban in place - which runs from Easter until 1 October - to protect the beach's Blue Flag status.

But residents say a split beach policy has worked elsewhere in the country.

Mike Rogers from Carrick's environmental protection unit says they need to enforce the ban because there are health concerns surrounding dog faeces.

But the Porthtowan Dog Group wants Carrick to impose a partial ban instead which would allow members to walk their animals along the edge of the cliffs to Lushington Beach where there is no exclusion.

Porthtowan was awarded a Blue Flag award for the first time in June 2005.

The authority is now looking into similar schemes around the South West and asking residents for their views.