Dog walkers face fines under new guidelines

All dog fouling across the borough must be picked up and put in a bin under the new guidelines

Dog walkers in two seaside towns in East Sussex face fines of up to £1,000 under new guidelines.

No more than six dogs can be walked by a single person and dogs must be kept on a lead along the whole promenade in Hastings and St Leonards under the updated Public Space Protection Order rules.

Hastings Borough Council’s community safety lead, Glenn Haffenden, said the new rules followed a number of recent “dog-related incidents”.

“These restrictions will help keep residents and visitors safe,” he said.

The regulations also say that all dog fouling across the borough must be picked up and put in a bin, while two dog exclusion areas on the beach will be implemented between 1 April and 30 September.

These are from Rock-a-Nore to the east side of Hastings Pier, and from the west end of Bottle Alley to opposite the Royal Victoria Hotel.

Anyone in breach of the new restrictions could be given an on-the-spot fine of £100, or prosecuted in court with a fine of up to £1,000.

Mr Haffenden said: "These updated restrictions mean it will be clear for dog owners to know where they can have their dogs off the lead.

“While we know that most dog owners are responsible, there have been a number of dog-related incidents recently.”

There are also restrictions in parks and green spaces across the borough, with dogs not allowed in the water in Alexandra Park or St Leonards Gardens, while dogs are also not allowed in children's play areas, multi-use games areas, skate parks, tennis courts or bowls greens.

New signage is to be installed across the borough to let people know about the restrictions.

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