Council agrees to extend Blackpool dog controls including beach ban

The council approved the move following consultation with residents and the Blackpool Association for Responsible K9’s (BARK).

An overwhelming majority of the 616 survey responses said dog owners should be fined for not carrying poo bags.

Just over 90 per cent agreed dog walkers should be required to show they have the means to pick up dog mess when challenged by authorised officers such as a dog warden, police officer or police community support officer.

Those who do not comply, should be given a fixed penalty notice.

But there was less concern about dogs being let off their leads on beaches, with just over 60 per cent of respondents agreeing with a dog ban on the beach between North Pier and the Solaris Centre (MIrror Ball area) between May and September.

The dog control PSPO (public space protection order) was introduced in 2018 to prohibit dog fouling and ban the walking of dogs in certain areas on a permanent or temporary basis.

Places where dogs are not allowed at any time include children’s play areas, multi-use games areas, ball courts, BMX and skate parks, bowling and golfing greens, the Stanley Park boating lake and ornamental ponds, Marton Mere lake, and the playing areas of all marked sports pitches when in use.

A council report says: “The order aims to prevent a variety of activities deemed as anti-social behaviours to ensure that public spaces can be enjoyed, and are enforced via staff within the authority to issue fixed penalty notices.”

As well as public consultation, the council also took into account views from Blackpool Association for Responsible K9’s (BARK).

The order also rules dogs must be kept on a lead on all public roads, on Blackpool Promenade between North and South Pier, in public parks and gardens, in cemeteries and churchyards, car parks, on tram tracks and adjacent footpaths, at the Marton Mere nature reserve, the Cenotaph, the arboretum on Moor Park Avenue, the grassy embankments on South Promenade, and around Starr Gate tram stop.

A person in charge of a dog must put it on a lead if requested to do so by an authorising officer, even if the dog is outside one of these lead-only zones.

Failure to comply with the rules may result in a £100 fixed penalty notice.

* ​Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 for your first month. Try us today by clicking here