Dog owners meet over forest plan

Hundreds of people rallied against the plan last weekend

Dog owners in Hampshire's New Forest have been attending a drop-in surgery to find out more about plans to ban dogs from certain areas.

They are fighting proposals to make some car parks "dog-free", in a bid to protect wildlife and reduce fouling.

The National Park Plan also proposes changing the way horses are kept.

The New Forest Dog Owners Group is holding a drop-in surgery at Brockenhurst Village Hall, from 1000 to 1600 BST on Sunday.

On Friday, a public consultation period on the draft plan was extended from 31 October to 14 November - after a massive rally by residents, who said they had been having difficulty getting hold of hard copies.

I don't know whether I'll have to pull my stables down Anita Gresham-Hale

The draft plan also suggests bringing in tolls on forest roads and changing planning rules, which could mean horse owners having to seek planning permission to keep animals for recreational use.

Residents are angry that any new planning rules could also be implemented retrospectively.

Horse owner Anita Gresham-Hale said: "I now understand that if the draft consultation plan is implemented, my planning permission could actually be revoked.

"So I could be back to square one, I don't know whether I'll have to pull my stables down.

"It's just horrifying, it's frightening."

Last weekend, about 700 people protested against the plans at Wilverley Plain, near Brockenhurst.

The New Forest National Park Authority said its focus was protecting the park for another millennium.

The authority was created five years ago to help preserve the unique character of the New Forest.