Dog controls brought in by Coventry City Council

Dogs will have to be on leads in certain parts of the city

A campaign group has called on Coventry City Council to be "reasonable" after it brought in dog controls.

The Coventry Dog Group, which was set up to represent dog owners' interests, said it was pleased the council had changed its original proposals to restrict dog-walking in the city.

But it said it would be "keeping an eye" on how the new legislation worked.

The council said it believed dog owners were happy with the new rules which were introduced due to public demand.

Problem dogs

The controls consist of five provisions, which will apply in parks and public places across Coventry.

They place a maximum on the number of dogs that can be walked by one owner, ban dogs from children's play areas and say dogs need to be kept on leads next to roads, in graveyards, when sports matches are in progress and in areas signposted by the council.

Any breach of the new rules during the first three months will result in an advisory notice

They also allow wardens to order owners to put problem dogs on leads.

Any breach of the new rules during the first three months will result in an advisory notice.

After the "bedding in" period, the council will issue fixed penalties of up to £100.

'Much happier'

Mike Konrad from Coventry Dog Group said the council had initially considered restricting dogs around sports pitches - something which more than 4,500 people had petitioned against.

"The council did take away that particular proposal and what is being introduced is more reasonable," he said. "But we are going to keep an eye on things."

Craig Hickin, head of the council's environmental services, said the rules were brought in "largely because people wanted them".

The council says the rules are about sharing Coventry's "fantastic" green spaces

"We have fantastic green spaces in Coventry and it's about making sure we share them responsibly," he said.

"Elected members initially wanted to keep dogs on leads around sports pitches, but local people didn't like that. We believe dog organisations are now much happier."