SIXTY-SEVEN DOG WALKERS FINED FOR FLOUTING BEACH RULES
BIG HAUL OVER BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND
DOG walkers ignoring the rules by taking their pets on to a restricted area of Cleethorpes beach over the Easter bank holiday weekend have been handed a total of £6,700 in fines.
Easter is the first weekend that the new rules come into place every season, with the area between the Cleethorpes Leisure Centre and Wonderland being off limits to dog walkers from Good Friday. Despite clear signs on the beach and wide advertisement of the rules, 67 people were caught out over the Bank Holiday weekend and were issued fixed penalty notices from North East Lincolnshire Council’s enforcement team.
North East Lincolnshire Council has warned that walkers will be fined £100 if they take their dogs on the restricted section of beach between Good Friday and September 30.
Most of the fines were handed out on Easter Sunday.
Council enforcement officers patrol the beach and signs with information about the restrictions can be found at the main entrances to the tourist area, all officers wear uniform and carry an identification card.
Eleven fines were also issued to people littering over the four-day bank holiday weekend.
Prior to the Easter weekend, 35 litter fines had already been issued to people in the resort for the week commencing March 29, when lockdown restrictions further eased. Members of the enforcement team also spoke to more than 200 dog owners prior to the dog ban coming into place from Good Friday to remind them about picking up dog mess and keeping dogs off the main beach.
The council have said that officers will continue to patrol the resort and issue FPNs for littering, dog fouling and dogs on the main beach.
A fixed penalty notice can (FPN) be issued to any person who breaches a PSPO, giving them an opportunity to avoid prosecution by paying a fixed penalty of up to £100.
FPNs are issued as part of North East Lincolnshire Council’s contract with Doncaster Council. Anyone found guilty of an offence in the magistrates’ court is liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding level three on the court’s standard scale of fines (currently £1,000).
Cleethorpes Beach is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is home to a number of rare habitats and bird species.
Wildlife along the stretch of coast can be disturbed by dogs, which can cause distress to and damage the health of the birds living on the beach.
Migratory birds, such as curlews, need to conserve energy and build up their strength in preparation for long journeys.