Visitors' anger at St Annes beach dog ban fines surge

The use of enforcement officers and fines of £100 have been defended by Fylde Council after a string of pet owners claimed they have been harshly treated after straying into the dog exclusion zone on St Annes Beach.
The ban on dogs applies to a stretch of beach between the pier and the RNLI station from Good Friday to September 30The ban on dogs applies to a stretch of beach between the pier and the RNLI station from Good Friday to September 30
The ban on dogs applies to a stretch of beach between the pier and the RNLI station from Good Friday to September 30

A succession of visitors to the area have contacted the council protesting that they were unaware of the seasonal ban on dogs at the amenity beach close to St Annes Pier and angry that were instantly issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice rather than being given a warning.

The council introduced enforcement of rules against littering, dog fouling and dogs being in the exclusion zone on July 1 in a bid to clamp down on what they term “environmental crimes”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The enforcement is handled by specialist private company District Enforcement, which takes the finance from the measures meaning it is at no cost to the council tax payer.

Sue Bradley from Tyldesley is among dog owners who have objected to receiving fixed penalty noticesSue Bradley from Tyldesley is among dog owners who have objected to receiving fixed penalty notices
Sue Bradley from Tyldesley is among dog owners who have objected to receiving fixed penalty notices

The council, which had been particularly concerned at a wave of litter on the first weekend after lockdown measures were eased in May, declared the new scheme a success after a total of 465 fixed penalty notice covering all aspects of the enforcement were issued in its opening month.

But the strictness of the enforcement of the dog exclusion zone - dogs have been banned from the stretch of sands between St Annes Pier and the lifeboat station between Good Friday and September 30 for some years now – has prompted an angry backlash.

Sue Bradley from Tyldesley near Wigan said: “It is so unfair. I’m disgusted that Fylde Council has allowed this company to hand out these harsh fines even when it is clear it is an innocent mistake.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“All this at a time when the tourism industry is struggling so much and relying on visitors to boost trade.”

Ariadne Meyer has vowed to never come to St Annes again after the way she claims she was treatedAriadne Meyer has vowed to never come to St Annes again after the way she claims she was treated
Ariadne Meyer has vowed to never come to St Annes again after the way she claims she was treated

Fran Bowman from Shepley in Yorkshire said: “Does patrolling a dog boundary and fining unsuspecting day trippers really hit the mark?

“This needs a council re-think. It doesn’t seem to a particularly sophisticated strategy but one that has been thought up quickly and to ‘look’ like action is being taken.”

Dorothy Crossley, who had travelled from the Chorley area, said: “We came to the beach via the dunes, walked out to sea, came back in to go back to the van and inadvertently stepped onto the invisible zone.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We apologised immediately as we hadn’t seen a sign and offered to leave but we were given a £100 fine.”

Ariadne Meyer travelled from the Wigan area with a friend and said: “It was the first time we visited the beach at Lytham St Annes and believe me after the way we were treated it will be the last.

“I was horrified that the enforcement officer only informed us of the fine after we had given her our details which we believed were for some sort of warning letter, but we were each fined £100.

“I understand that people might have issues with dogs on beaches and I happily support the exclusion zones as I can appreciate that not everyone wants dogs running around them, but if this is the way Fylde Council is treating tourists at a time when they need them more than ever, by pigeonholing everyone with a dog as irresponsible, then they deserve their just desserts as I am more than happy to take this to court.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The council added ‘teardrop’ flag signs advising of the dog exclusion zone to already existing signage on the Promenade after a visitor walking with her dog from the Fairhaven direction protested last month that she had entered the exclusion zone unwittingly and was fined £100.

Coun Roger Small, chairman of Fylde Council’s operational management committee, said he enforcement measures and how they are police was under constant review but that “ignorance is no defence” when it comes to abiding by the local rules in place.

“The onus has to a large extent be on the visitor to be aware of local bye-laws at a place they are visiting,” he said.

“All the measures were brought in to improve the Fylde environment for the common good and it was felt enforcement had to be introduced after warnings weren’t effective enough.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The dog exclusion zone isn’t new – it’s there every summer for a reason. It’s a family area and to ensure it is safe and clean for families, dogs are excluded for the season. There are so many other areas of the beach where they are allowed.

“When we were policing the zone ourselves a few months ago, we even had one of our staff assaulted when he tried to issue a warning.

“The enforcement is necessary – but how it works is being reviewed all the time and we take these comments on board.”

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.