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DOUBLE WHAMMY FROM COUNCIL IN DOGS CRACKDOWN...

Dog owners are being warned to keep their pets off beaches where a dog beach ban is in force, and Environmental Community Officers will out and about in the district to make sure there's no poo left by your pooch.

Dogs are banned from seven local beaches between 1 May and 30 September but Shepway Council has received lots of complaints about owners flouting the ban. 

Beaches where the ban is in force are clearly marked and the council’s team of officers will be out and about on local beaches this month to check that the bylaw is being observed. They will take the names and addresses of owners flouting the bylaw with a view to prosecution. Owners could face a fine of up to £500.

“However, our officers cannot be everywhere at the same time and therefore need the goodwill of dog owners to be responsible and observe the ban,” said Cllr Shirley Newlands, Cabinet Member for the Environment. 

“We have a 23-mile coastline and it offers some great walks for dog and their owners. But not everyone wants to share beaches with dogs all year round – which is why the ban is in place. Loose dogs can frighten people and spoil their enjoyment of the beach. And the problem is made ten times worse by owners who also fail to clear up after their dogs – which they should do all year round on any beach.”

The seven beaches where a dog beach ban is in place are: Folkestone, Sunny Sands; Sandgate: Sea Road to Sandgate Castle; Hythe: Twiss Road to St Leonard’s Road; Dymchurch: Sycamore Gardens to Martello Car Park. St Mary’s Bay: The Fairway to river outfall at the site of the Sands Motel. Littlestone: water tower at Madeira Road to Clark Road. Greatstone: Jolly Fisherman car park to Seaview Road.