Dog walkers march against new lead rules from Blackpool Council

Dog owners across the resort are facing more stringent rules over where they can allow their pets off to run.

After a meeting or doggie forum to discuss the issue Conservative group leader at Blackpool Council Coun Tony Williams said: “We wanted to speak to dogs owners in this area to see how they felt.

“It was pretty much unanimous that they all think its draconian.”

Dogs are currently not allowed on the Central Beach between North Pier and the Solaris Centre on South Promenade between May 1 and September 30.

Blackpool Council is now holding a consultation, which closes on September 25, into plans to update dog control orders in the resort.

The new public spaces protection order would reinforce existing restrictions but also includes five new areas where dogs must be kept on a lead, if it is approved.

Blackpool’s Conservative group is proposing to re-open some areas of the beach to dog owners in a bid to woo voters.

Coun Williams said: “We’d like to revisit some these areas where dog are banned and give them more space. It’s the minority that make the majority look bad.

“I think what people need to be asking is how many dogs are on my ward and how many complaints have we had. We don’t think there have been many dog fouling fines handed out.”

Coun Williams added that he also wanted to encourage activities for dog owners. “One of the things that we really wanted to ask is what we could do for dog owners so for example obedience rallies, dog shows and other events such as dog grooming and health sessions,” he said.