Dog lead rules to be expanded across West Sussex
Arun District Council is extending Public Space Protection Orders to three more parks in Bognor Regis and Littlehampton.
Rules about dogs on leads have been renewed and expanded by Arun District Council.
Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) for the control of dogs in specific areas were renewed by the council’s environment committee, with the aim of encouraging responsible dog ownership in Arun.
This included three new areas enforcing dogs on leads; public water play areas, fenced and unfenced, including those in Place St Maur and the Hotham Park Discovery Centre in Bognor Regis, and Littlehampton’s West Beach Board Walk.
A public consultation attracted 396 responses from 179 dog owners and 217 non-owners, with 75 to 98 per cent support for the PSPO proposals. Two Arun disctrict councillors responding in support of the proposals.
Some residents voiced concerns about enforcement of the PSPOs and the need for extra bins for dog waste.
The dogs-on-leads PSPO states dogs must be kept on leads in cemeteries and churchyards, specific leisure gardens, fields, seafront leisure areas, part of the seafront and seafront areas, and specific stretches of promenades adjacent to excluded beach areas between May 1 and September 30 each year.
Other dog-control PSPOs include fouling of land by dogs, dog exclusions, and dogs on leads by direction, meaning owners only have to use a lead when directed by an authorised officer.
The PSPOs were introduced in Arun District Council in 2017, to encourage responsible dog ownership and protect the public, and need to be reviewed and renewed every three years to stay in place.