Dog owners are being reminded that restrictions excluding their pets from certain parts of beaches along the East Coast will come into force on Monday 1 May this year.
The annual exclusion, enforced by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, will run until Saturday 30 September and was brought in to help families and visitors enjoy the seaside without being bothered by nuisance dogs or fouling.
The control of dogs is also one of the requirements of the coveted Blue Flag Award scheme, which honours the country’s best bathing beaches, and the council needs to meet those standards in order to be considered for the award.
The four beach areas affected by the dog exclusion are:
• Bridlington north beach – from the north pier to a line extending east from Limekiln Lane.
• Bridlington south beach – from the south pier to a line extending east from Kingston Road.
• Hornsea beach – from Headland View to a line extending east from Sands Lane.
• Withernsea beach – from the steps to the north of the slipway at Seaside Road to the steps opposite Memorial Gardens.
The areas of the promenades in Bridlington, Hornsea and Withernsea adjacent to the beach exclusion zones carry a restriction requiring owners to keep their dogs on leads in those areas.
Outside the restricted areas dogs are still welcome, all the council asks is that dog walkers clean up after their animals and are considerate of other beach users.
Council officers will carry out regular patrols of the beaches and promenades and any owner found breaking the rules will receive a £75 fixed penalty notice.
Last year the council issued three fixed penalty notices for breaches of the beach restrictions.
Officers will also be patrolling other areas to make sure owners clean up after their dogs.
Councillor Shaun Horton, the council’s portfolio holder for community involvement and local partnerships, said:
“The exclusion on dogs using certain areas of the beach lasts just for the summer season.
“The vast majority of owners know the importance of not taking their dogs on the beach in the summer months when children and families are playing in the sand.”
“But there are plenty of other areas on the beaches where dogs are still welcome.”
Anyone with information about dogs on the beaches during the exclusion period or to report dog fouling should contact the council’s dog warden team.
