Wirral dog ban plan rejected by councillors

The plans include bans at cemeteries, picnic areas and playgrounds

Plans to ban dogs from more than 100 public places in Wirral have been rejected by a council committee.

Councillors instead recommended existing powers should be used "to deal with the minority of dog owners who act in an irresponsible manner".

Dogs are already excluded from some public areas in Wirral, including children's playgrounds.

Wirral Council's cabinet member for environment, Anita Leech, must now make a final decision on the proposal.

The proposals for Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) came following concerns about excessive dog mess and "dog nuisance" in Wirral.

The plans include bans at cemeteries, picnic areas and playgrounds in Arrowe Park, Eastham Rake, Irby and Wallasey.

'Moral victory'

They would also limit the maximum number of dogs that can be walked by a single person to six and say leads must be no longer than 2m.

The council's environment overview and scrutiny committee voted against the plans at a meeting in Wallasey Town Hall on Tuesday, attended by dozens of members of the public.

Rob Wilkinson, from campaign group Wirral Good Dogs, told councillors 2% of dog owners were irresponsible and the ban would be "using a big stick for a small problem".

After the vote he said it was an "incredible moral victory" and "shows the weight of opinion that's behind this".

Irby Park would be affected by dog control orders

Conservative councillor Ian Lewis accused the cabinet of becoming "arrogant and out of touch" and said the council should use the powers it had to tackle dog fouling wherever it occurred.

But the council's Mike Cockburn said the PSPOs were aimed at "delivering behaviour change" and would give a "cleaner, safer environment".

The proposals followed a public consultation that took place last year.

If approved by the cabinet, the PSPOs will last for three years from April.