Councillors in Tenby have been asked to consider a proposal to extend regulations to keep dogs on leads on walkways all year round, to help tackle fouling issues across the resort.

Correspondence from a resident of St Julian’s Terrace recently came before members of the Town Council at their recent meeting, which noted an item that recently went to Pembrokeshire County Council for consideration on ‘negating the effects of dog owners in public places’.

“The discussion that followed highlighted the difficulty in prosecuting offenders of dog fouling as the owners would have to be caught in the act. They acknowledged dog fouling was a major problem in Pembrokeshire,” stated the resident in their correspondence.

‘The county council said that they would be consulting town and community councils for suggestions on how the council can more effectively enforce the regulations. I would ask you to consider the following in any response you make to the county council’s initiative.

“In Tenby the present regulations for ‘Dogs on Leads on Walkways’ are only applicable from May 1 to September 30. I would ask that any such regulation is for a full year.

“Dogs are exercised just as much in the winter as in the summer. It is my belief that most dog fouling that is not picked up by the owners when the dog is not on a lead, owners cannot be aware of any offence being committed when a dog is not in sight,” they continued.

“Enforcement for breaches in dog regulations are more likely to be successful against owners who do not have their dog on a lead rather than having to catch a dog in the act of defecating and then observing that it not being picked up by the owner.

“To introduce and enforce a ‘dogs on leads on walkways’ regulation throughout the year would be a positive action to negate the effect of dog owners in public places that the County Council are asking.

“I believe that there is a nuisance problem with dogs being exercised on Castle Beach in the summer, and I consider the present regulation to allow dogs on part of this beach confusing. Is the only reason for this regulation to allow dogs to be legally taken to the Caldey boats and not to give an opportunity for owners to be able to exercise their dogs on this part of the beach?

“If I am correct, I would ask that the dog regulation for this area of Castle Beach is changed to ‘dogs on leads’ for the period this regulation is in force.

“I would also like to highlight the problem of dog owners who pick up after their dog but then dispose of the plastic bag by throwing it into the undergrowth. I consider this to be a particularly offensive act and I would like the council to consider ways of addressing this problem as a way of preventing this happening,” they added.

In responding to the correspondence, Clr. Mrs. Tish Rossiter said that dog fouling occurred everywhere and not just in this area.

She pointed out that there was a ‘grey area’ on Castle Beach as you can take dogs to Caldey, but how do we get round this, she asked, before suggesting a big sign be put up, perhaps highlighting that dogs can go to Caldey, but for owners to not let them off their lead.

“This has been a problem in Tenby for years, we’ve tried poo bag dispensers and other initiatives, but dog owners should not let their dogs do it,” she remarked.

“We are advertised as a dog friendly town,” she continued, adding that more and more visitors that come to Tenby, now bring their pets as kennels are now so costly.

The Mayor, Clr. Mrs. Sam Skyrme-Blackhall highlighted that dogs can go over to Caldey via Castle Beach, but perhaps the introduction of a different fines system migh help.

Clr. Mike Evans said there was signage on Castle Beach which was mostly adhered to, whilst RNLI lifeguards are also able to enforce restrictions when they are on duty.

“Fifteen years ago, this town was blighted with dog poo, but it feels like town is a lot cleaner now with just the occasional person who doesn’t pick up,” he commented.

“Tenby is a community of dog owners and the vast majority do clean up after themselves. Some initiatives did work in the past so we should not consider throwing out the whole system,” added Clr. Evans.

Clr. Paul Rapi agreed about the community being more engaged, adding that he has two dogs himself, and always picks up after them. Some can’t pick up for various reasons. Banning dogs for the whole year is taking it too far.

“Since the pandemic pets are even more popular and there are so many dogs in town. Many businesses are obliging to dog owners, they are a part of British life,” he told his fellow members.

“There are those not following the rules, and policing is the main problem, but I felt the ‘eyes’ signage introduced was very effective.

“Can we respond politely that we take the matter seriously and we have been proactive where we can but we are mindful that there are two sides to this, and as a town council, we will continue to work with PCC with education with those still flouting the law,” he added.

Beach ban restrictions for dogs begin in Pembrokeshire on Sunday, May 1, with some beaches across the county subject of dog bans between this date and September 30 each year.

A fixed penalty notice of £75 can be issued for dogs in restricted areas on beaches – other than Guide dogs.

Detailed maps are displayed at all the beaches noted which identify those areas where dogs can or cannot be walked as well as lead only areas.

Detailed maps can also be found on the Visit Pembrokeshire website at www.visitpembrokeshire.com

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Dog Control Team in conjunction with Leisure staff enforce these bans throughout the summer months.

District Enforcement Officers employed by Pembrokeshire County Council were due to have their duties re-established back in 2020 to include beach patrols when the dog restrictions came in, to crack down on environmental offences, but after the contract expired, the Local Authority has yet to re-employ a company to carry out such duties across the County to tackle offences such as littering or dog fouling by issuing fixed penalty notices where necessary.

The county council’s ‘visitor welcome teams’ were seen last summer providing advice to the public regarding beaches that are suitable for dog owners, as part of their duties.

Dog fouling offenders ought to be named and shamed to deter others, a former council leader of Carmarthenshire County Council recently stated.

Clr. Kevin Madge said it would make a difference if people saw culprits’ names in their local paper or on Facebook.

“They would say, ‘Oh, Fred Bloggs has been caught – I better not do that,” he remarked at a Carmarthenshire Council environmental and public protection committee meeting recently, where cabinet members and officers outlined a new four-year litter management plan for the county.

Clr. Madge also said he’d like police community support officers to dish out fines to offenders.

The dog fouling theme was picked up by a number of councillors, with Clr. Dorian Phillips stating a lot of people with dogs had moved into his Llanboidy ward, and that some verges were “covered” in dog mess.

He asked if mobile CCTV cameras could be installed. “I think that’s the only way to catch them,” he said.