Isle of Man dog walkers could be banned from historic site

The area has become popular with dog walkers during lockdown

Dog walkers who fail to keep control of their pets at a historic site on the Isle of Man could face being banned from the area, a heritage organisation has warned.

It follows an increase in dog fouling at Fort Island in the south of the island.

Manx National Heritage (MNH) said dog owners must now "clean up their act or risk being banned".

Under bylaws, MNH also has the power to impose fines of up to £5,000.

A spokeswoman said it was the "site of several very important ancient monuments" as well as being home to several species of wildlife.

The problem was being caused by an "irresponsible minority" of pet owners, and patrols would now be stepped up to catch those responsible, she said.

She added: "We had hoped that we would not need to resort to exerting these powers in order to do our job to protect these historic environments but we will not hesitate to do so if the abuses continue.

"MNH now feel they have no choice but to issue a final warning to dog owners to clean up their act or risk being banned altogether from the Fort Island site."