Dog control powers extended in South Tyneside - these are the rules owners must follow

Powers to tackle dog fouling and “irresponsible dog ownership” in South Tyneside have been officially extended following a decision by town hall bosses.
Sandhaven Beach is popular with dog walkers, most of which are responsible. But the council has rules in place to allow officers to come down hard on those who aren't.Sandhaven Beach is popular with dog walkers, most of which are responsible. But the council has rules in place to allow officers to come down hard on those who aren't.
Sandhaven Beach is popular with dog walkers, most of which are responsible. But the council has rules in place to allow officers to come down hard on those who aren't.

This week, South Tyneside Council’s ruling cabinet refreshed public spaces protection orders (PSPOs) for the borough, which help officers deal with those who fail to control or clean up after their dogs.

The PSPOs were introduced in October 2017, replacing previous dog control orders, and also cover other breaches of rules such as dogs being in areas where restrictions are in place.

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Falling foul of the rules could land offenders with fixed penalty notices of up to £100.

And failing to pay, may lead to prosecution and a court fine of up to £1,000.

The PSPOs for dog control cover issues such as:

:: Dog fouling – dog owners must remove their dog’s mess immediately.

:: Dogs on lead – dog owners must keep dogs on leads no longer that 1.5m in South Marine Park and all cemeteries in the borough at all times.

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:: Dogs on lead direction order – dog owners must put and keep their dog on a lead when directed to do so by an authorised officer.

:: Dogs exclusion order – dog owners must prevent their dogs from entering all enclosed children’s play areas and school playing fields. In addition, Sandhaven Beach is a dog exclusion zone from May 1 to September 30, from 8am to 6pm.

:: Dogs specified maximum order – dog owners must ensure that they are in control of no more than four dogs at any one time.

“We know that environmental crime is a key priority for the council,” said councillor Joan Atkinson, cabinet member for area management and community safety.

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“Dog control and enforcement ranked highly as a priority area of work for our residents in the last budget consultation.

“A clean environment is regularly highlighted by our residents as one of the most important factors to them in making the borough a good place to live.

“PSPOs provide an effective deterrent to environmental crime and anti-social behaviour and the proposal in this report seeks to tackle these issues, specifically in relation to dog control through measures aimed at dog fouling and irresponsible dog ownership.”

The council chief was speaking at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday November 4, which was held via videolink and broadcast on YouTube.

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Following cabinet approval, the PSPOs will be extended for a further three years and after this period, they will be reviewed again.

Cllr Atkinson added: “The council has recently invested in additional resources creating a broader environmental enforcement team that will provide a renewed focus on tackling identified envirocrime hotspots including irresponsible dog ownership.

“The proposed PSPO will enable officers to tackle enforcement action when it is appropriate to do so.”

The rules were extended on the eve of the national lockdown for England, during which people are expected to spend more time exercising outdoors – including with their dogs – as non-essential shops, pubs, cafes, restaurants and leisure facilities close.

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