Council takes lead on roaming dogs

A Northern Ireland council has taken the lead in stopping dogs roaming freely on its beaches.

North Down Borough Council plans to introduce by-laws which will require canine lovers to keep their pooches on a lead between the months of June and August.

Dogs will have to be on a lead during the summer

The law will apply during the hours of ten and six on the beach.

But the plans are going out to public consultation and it could be next summer before any changes are made.

Councillor Peter Weir of the DUP said there had been much debate about the issue of dogs but he believed the council had come to a "reasonable solution".

"At one end of the spectrum, there's people who believe dogs should be banned from beaches completely," he said.

"At the other end of the spectrum people who believe there should be no restriction at all on any dogs and (there's) a wide range of views in between."

The restrictions would apply to beaches at Seapark, Ballyholme in Bangor and Groomsport.

However, Norma Harkness who has been walking her dogs on the beach for nearly 30 years is not happy.

"If it happens we'll have to put up with it but it doesn't suit me," she said. "As you can see I am here at 1.35pm and that's the time I am able to take it out. It doesn't suit everybody.

"But it's the dog owners who don't pick up (dog litter) who are making the rest of us suffer and it's not fair, because I always pick up, always have bags with me."

The restrictions would apply to Ballyholme beach in Bangor

Mother-of-three Joanne Stanfield is pleased about the proposed restrictions, as her children enjoy playing on the beach.

"With three children, one very young and one with special needs, they are a bit wary of dogs that aren't on leads. It's going to make an awful difference to the kids," she said.

The council also plans to ban dogs from enclosed parks and play area, and ensure that dogs are kept on leads at all times in areas such as the seafront at Bangor.

The fourth element of the law would be that dogs have to be put on a lead at the request of a council or police officer.

Borough inspector David Brown pointed out that Bangor was a holiday resort with many people using the beaches.

"We see a lot of complaints every year from people who are picnicking on the beach, who get disturbed by dogs whenever they are down on the beach. So we would see it as helping us to control that," he said.

"There is always the big issue of dog fouling in the borough as well. It will give us an extra resource to deal with the problem because the dog on a lead is much easier to detect who the owner is."

The council stresses that if its plan becomes law, all areas affected will be clearly signposted.