St Leonards dog control orders are 'victimisation' against pet owners, resident says

St Leonards beach. Picture taken in September 2021

Council proposals to control dogs on St Leonards beach have been branded as 'victimisation’ against pet owners.

The authority is currently asking the public for their views on proposals put forward.

But resident Lesley Griffiths said the plans will reduce the space available to dogs and their owners on the beaches.

Lesley said: “I regard the proposals as a victimisation of dog owners as they would appear to be an easy target.

“Can the council clarify how many people have complained about dogs on the beaches? How many people have complained about broken bottles, barbecues, litter etc. None I suspect, because the offenders cannot be identified.

“My point is that dogs are easy to spot, easy to ban and make the council appear to be doing something about the state of the beaches. So if you're going to ban dogs, don't you also need to ban people?

“As an aside, I understand that many holiday makers bring dogs with them. Instead of banning dogs, you should be publicising the very dog friendly nature of St Leonards, and making sure that everyone knows where dogs are very happily permitted.”

A Hastings Borough Council spokesperson said: “We are proposing to allow dogs on the beach as follows:

“To the west of Azur, dogs can be off leads before 9am and after 5pm from April 1 to September 30. From 9am to 5pm April 1 to September 30 they must be on leads on the beach. They would also be allowed off leads before 10am and after 4pm from September 1 to March 31.

“For the rest of the beach (east of Azur), dogs could be off leads before 9am and after 5pm in the summer (April 1 to October 30). In the winter (November 1 to March 31), dogs could be off leads before 10am and after 4pm.

“This is more than 50 per cent of the available beach time in the town, both in summer and in winter.

“Finding the right balance between supporting dog owners and also those who don’t want to share the beach with dogs is tricky, but we believe these proposals do just that.

“Let us know what you think, as the final decision will be made by cabinet, taking into account any responses made by October 16.”