East Lindsey District Council is expected to extend its ban on dogs on beaches during summer months
It's so it can maintain Blue Flag Awards for Skegness, Mablethorpe and Sutton on Sea
A council is poised to extend its ban on dogs on beaches during the summer months.
Ahead of a meeting of the council’s Executive Board on Wednesday (November 6), East Lindsey District Council officers have recommended that members extend the ban covering beaches in Skegness, Mablethorpe, and Sutton on Sea until 2027.
The authority described the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), which is due to expire this month, as a prerequisite for maintaining Blue Flag Awards for all three seaside resorts.
If approved, the ban will remain in place from May 1 to September 30 each year.
Locals were asked for their views on the ban during a consultation throughout September, during which The Kennel Club questioned whether a time restriction was an appropriate measure.
“We have received feedback and evidence suggesting that many beaches are empty in both the early morning and late evenings, a prime time for many owners to exercise their dogs,” it said.
“There is little reason why restrictions should be in place during times of the day when the beach is little used, even in the busy season.”
Lianne Havell, who founded Sutton on Sea BeachCare to help clean litter off the beach, said: “It’s an awkward one because a lot of dog owners are good people.
“Sadly, you get the minority that don’t do things properly.”
After receiving 545 responses from their consultation, the council highlighted that there was slightly less support for the seasonal ban on beaches and for the alteration of the size of the ban to include the full Blue Flag areas, with the latter receiving the least support.
The PSPO also requires dogs to be placed on a lead and kept on the promenades in Skegness, Sutton on Sea, and Mablethorpe during the summer months.
Dogs are also permanently banned from any fully enclosed children’s play area containing play equipment, as well as the following paddling pools: Fairly Dell Paddling Pool, Skegness, York Road Pleasure Gardens Paddling Pool, Sutton on Sea, Queen’s Park Paddling Pool, Mablethorpe.