Dog owners face fines if they flout Liverpool's playground ban

Dogs would need to be on a lead at all times in 10 locations, including cemeteries

Dog owners who flout a playgrounds and playing fields ban will be given on-the-spot £80 fines.

Liverpool City Council has agreed to adopt a public space protection order (PSPO) tightening rules over dog fouling and inappropriate behaviour.

The three-year order will ban dogs from more than 70 playgrounds and sports pitches and prevent them being let off the lead in eight city cemeteries.

Councillor Liam Robinson said the new rules "strike the right balance".

The cabinet member for neighbourhood services said the move would allow people to "continue to enjoy walking their dogs" but give the council "the tools to instantly fine those who spoil that experience", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

New signs will be put up in affected areas to alert dog owners

Dogs were already excluded from a large proportion of play areas, sports pitches and walled gardens, under the 1994 Control of Dogs Byelaws.

The new PSPO enables council workers and police officers to issue an £80 fixed penalty notice for owners who allow their dogs onto these banned areas, as well as those who refuse to put their dog on a lead in certain locations and fail to bag and dispose of dog mess.

'Wildlife deaths'

It ends the requirement of offenders being summonsed to court.

The rule for dogs to be on a lead covers 10 locations, including eight cemeteries, St John's Gardens and Devonfield Gardens.

An exception has been made for assistance dogs and signs will be put up in the areas affected by the PSPO, which is expected to be introduced by next month.

Mr Robinson said the council had "listened to all those who have complained about this issue over the past few years" and acted to protect parks and open spaces , which "are hugely important community assets".

"Dogs not on leads in public spaces has also become a concern, as our colleagues in Merseyside Police can testify, and we've had too many reports of deaths to wildlife in our parks to just sit here and do nothing," he said.

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