Dogs are "running amok" in Torridge

Control your canines

Dogs are “running amok” in Torridge, the district council has heard.

At a full council meeting this week, councillors criticised the lack of enforcement of regulations after it hearing that only eight fixed-penalty notices have been issued for dog fouling since 2017.

Five council officers – but not park wardens – are authorised to give the penalties, but some councillors say more enforcement is needed. 

Council chairperson cllr Doug Bushby (Independent, Bideford North) said: “Our dogs are running amok nearly all the time and if you do mention it to an owner you just get verbal abuse.”

He described the level of dog mess in some towns as “disgusting” and added: “I’m not against dogs, I love dogs myself but there are a number of irresponsible dog owners that need to be brought to task and when they are it needs to be publicised so people know Torridge takes this matter seriously.”

The comments came as the council voted to update the Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) for dogs in Torridge. 

PSPOs are a legal tool used by councils to stop antisocial behaviour deemed detrimental to a local community’s quality of life. They must be reviewed every three years.

PSPOs can be enforced by police officers, police community support officers and authorised council enforcement officers. A breach is a criminal offence that can result in a fixed penalty notice of £100, but if it goes to court, a fine of up to £1,000 can be imposed.

The previous measures included rules on dog fouling, beach bans, rules on where dogs must be placed on leads and where dogs are excluded altogether. 

The updated policy includes an exclusion of dogs from enclosed children’s play areas. It also expanded the PSPO to protect livestock and wildlife, as well as people and animals.

The new provisions also mean dogs are now banned from Westward Ho! park tennis courts and must be on leads in the rest of that park.

The summertime ban of dogs on Westward Ho! beach from 1 May to 30 September stays in place – which is required so the beach maintains its ‘blue flag’ status, a sign of high environmental and quality standards.

However, Westward Ho! councillor Nick Laws (Independent) was not convinced that existing measures go far enough.  He said the summer beach ban is “totally ignored” early in the morning.

He added:  “It’s a great concern to me because people just say ‘well, nobody’s going to do anything about it. I do it in the winter and I’m going to take my dogs there whether you like it or not.’ 

“We do need more enforcement.”