Dog ban at more than 70 Nottinghamshire park sites

The ban aims to clean up local public spaces.

Dogs have been banned at 72 park sites in a Nottinghamshire district.

The measures have been brought in by Newark and Sherwood District Council after some owners failed to clean up after their pets.

Dog walkers who flout the ban face £75 on-the-spot fines, which can rise to £1,000 if the matter goes to court.

Some owners have said the ban is unfair on people who do clean up dog waste and that it will force them to drive to sites where they can walk their pets.

The ban will be enforced by animal welfare officers, park rangers and police community support officers.

Other measures have been brought in for other parks and open spaces in the area, including a ban on walking more than six dogs at a time and a rule obliging owners to keep dogs on a lead at all times.

Dog walkers have expressed concern they will be breaking the measures unwittingly as signs are not yet in place in all areas.

I think this is really well overstepping things Caroline Kisko, The Kennel Club Send us your comments

The council has now produced a list of where pet owners are forbidden from exercising their animals.

Nottinghamshire resident Jane Jenkins said: "It's ridiculous. Where do they think you're going to take them? Up the village where the shops are? On the pavements?"

Caroline Kisko, from The Kennel Club, said: "I think this is really well overstepping things."

She also believes that the ban could encourage dog owners to use their cars in order to get to different places to walk their pets.

Councillor Nora Armstrong said: "Dog fouling is rightly becoming a social taboo in today's society.

"These powers, which also help us to control where dogs are taken and how many, should help us make sure more people enjoy a cleaner, greener and safer environment in Newark and Sherwood."