Beach safe for dogs after alert

Dog owners are being told they can return to a Suffolk beach after a safety alert.

Six animals were reported to have died after visiting Pakefield Beach, while one dog which ate poisonous seaweed on the Norfolk coast also died.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) earlier this month warned dog owners of the possible dangers of the seaweed Sea Chevril.

On Monday, Waveney council said the Pakefield Beach appeared to be clear.

'Toxic seaweed'

Earlier this month Defra asked vets serving areas near the East Anglian coast to contact them if they treated any dogs which have eaten Sea Chervil, which had been washed up.

The toxic seaweed can cause a rash if handled.

The warnings over Pakefield Beach came after a series of mysterious pet deaths.

Experts said there may be a link with a dog who died in Norfolk last year after eating Sea Chervil.

At Pakefield there had been reports of six dogs dying suddenly after eating an unknown poisonous substance on the beach.

But Defra said that with no post-mortem tests carried out on the dogs, it was impossible to verify what caused the deaths and some experts believed the dogs may have died from salt water poisoning.