Dog walkers in the East Riding face new ban

A council 'dog exclusion' order that bans dog walking in more than 230 sites in the East Riding has come into place.

Dog walkers and their pets will not be allowed to enter children's play areas and school premises, the council has ordered.

The council said the exclusion order was a response to complaints about dogs in areas where children play.

Owners could face a fine of £75 for taking their dogs into one of the 233 areas listed by the council.

Bill Lambert of the Kennel Club said he believed the ban was unfair to the majority of dog owners, who do act responsibly.

He said: "I think these dog control orders need to be only necessary and proportionate.

"It is only a very small minority of people that don't pick up after their dogs and it should be something that is encouraged, but I think there is a danger here that we sometimes use a sledgehammer to crack a nut."

He said more signage to encourage owners to clean up after their dogs and more bins should be available, as an alternative to a blanket ban on dog walking.

Paul Abbott, public protection group manager at the council, said enforcing dog exclusion was justified.

He said: "The reason is that we have had a series of complaints regarding dogs in various areas, quite specifically in enclosed children's areas and schools.

"The play areas are for children to play in a safe and clean environment, and obviously schools are educational premises. Neither of them are dog exercise areas and therefore we felt it to be entirely appropriate to make that choice."

Dog exclusion is the fourth in a series of orders created by the council, following a public consultation on dog control in 2008.

Owners have previously been banned from taking their dogs to beaches in Bridlington, Hornsea and Withernsea.