Council bans dogs from sports pitches and children’s play areas
Rhiannon James, local democracy reporter
Newport councillors have unanimously approved to ban dogs from sports pitches and children’s play areas across the county.
The new rules also state that all owners must keep dogs on leads in all council-owned cemeteries, and they must remove – and have appropriate means to remove – their dog’s faeces on all public land.
This is part of Newport City Council’s new Public Spaces Protection Order 2022-2025 which was approved at a full meeting on Tuesday.
This PSPO specifically covers dog control and aims to target “irresponsible dog owners”.
A consultation on the new rules found that 58% of 335 respondents were in favour of banning dogs from sports pitches.
Dogs are banned from sports pitches during their respective seasons:
- Football: 1st July to 30th April.
- Rugby: 1st September to 30th April.
- Cricket: 1st April to 30th September.
At the meeting Cllr Yvonne Forsey, who represents Rogerstone West, expressed her support for the rules and added: “I think we should do everything we can to protect children.”
Ringland councillor Laura Lacey said that dog foul could cause “awful wounds” and said: “Even if you pick after a dog, you don’t always get everything.”
Enforcement
Two Independent councillors Cllr Kevin Whitehead and Cllr Allan Morris said they supported the rules but questioned the council’s ability to enforce them.
The rules will be enforced by authorised council officers and police constables, who can also request for dogs to be put on leads if they are not “under proper control”.
Failure to comply with the rules is a criminal offence and could will in a fine of up to £1,000 – these can be issued on the spot by a police officer or constable or a council officer.
Labour councillor for Alway, Alex Pimm, suggested that “dedicated dog walking and running areas” should be created in future.
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Finally! Finally a council is willing to ensure that there are at least some areas where people will not have to have one eye on alert for either an out-of-control dog* or some the animals excrement at all times.
*If a dog does not return immediately when it is called back by the person in charge of the dog at that time, that dog is out of control.
nothing worse than being involved in a sport, only to slide in a pile of dog sh*t and spend the rest of the game stinking, along with the health risks, same as when out on bikes, constantly dodging dog mess, and in my line of work when strimming and you hit a dog bomb, it goes everywhere and you can smell it for the rest of the day, if people can’t be bothered to clear up after their dogs they shouldn’t have them,
Excellent……far too many dogs in the country now!!!
What about bird or fox poo?