Dog owners plan beach ban protest

Feb 12 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal

DOG owners are planning a protest against a decision to ban them from exercising their pets on a newly-created stretch of beach in Northumberland.

Council chiefs imposed the blanket ban on dogs using the 300m-long stretch of sand in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea despite a petition signed by 1,000 people claiming the move was unfair and too restrictive.

A new order agreed by Wansbeck District Council will make it an offence punishable with a £75 fine for anyone to allow their dog on to the beach on any day of the year.

Local dog owners are planning to flout the ban on the day it comes into force – March 1 – by taking their pets for a protest walk along the sands.

The new beach was created last summer by importing 500,000 tonnes of sand to Newbiggin from the Lincolnshire coastline.

Council bosses say dogs should be barred in order to keep it clean and safe for families to enjoy, and claim a total ban is the easiest method of enforcement. Last month they rejected calls from dog owners, the Kennel Club and Wansbeck MP Denis Murphy to stop short of a blanket ban and allow dogs to use a section of the beach or during the winter months.

Yesterday Linda Spowart, a member of the Newbiggin Dog Action Group, said suggestions that dogs could be exercised on the nearby East Sea Sands or other seaside areas were impractical because they were not accessible enough for elderly or disabled people. “On the day the banning order comes into force, we are planning to get as many dog owners as possible and go for a walk along the beach. We believe the council has gone about this all wrong,” she said.

“There were compromises suggested to have parts of the beach designated for exercising dogs but they were rejected. I even made a DVD to show how inaccessible other parts of Newbiggin Bay are for dog walkers but it was not shown at the council committee meeting.”

She said the blanket ban had been imposed despite a lack of evidence to justify it and major problems in enforcing it 365 days a year.

“We don’t believe that the council has been able to show that a total control order is a necessary and proportionate response, and are asking them to reverse this decision.”

Council solicitor Carolyn Forster said a working group asked to consider whether or not dogs should be allowed on the beach had accepted that a year-round ban would penalise responsible dog owners.

“However, a balancing exercise has to be carried out between the needs of responsible owners to exercise their dogs and the right of others to a clean, safe environment free from nuisance and any risk to public health,” she added.