Friday 30 May 2014
Environment Department response to media enquiry
Media Enquiry from Jersey Evening Post:
Further to our phonecall regarding dogs on beaches and the regulations you have in Guernsey relating to this, I'd like to ask the following questions.
Given that you have an outright ban of dogs on beaches over the summer due to dog mess, does this present with any problems with dog mess elsewhere ie in parks and on pavements?
Do you get a lot of opposition to the banning of dogs on beaches from dog owners?
How many (estimate) dogs do you have on Guernsey?
What alternatives do you offer for the May to September period when they are not allowed on the beaches?
When they are allowed on the beaches during other times of the year, do you restrict the times they can go off-lead?
Are there any plans to change or update the 1992 legislation?
Thanks very much for all your help.
Environment Department Response:
The Environment Department can confirm that complaints about dog mess in other areas such as parks do not tend to increase in the summer months. It is notable that more complaints are received during the winter months when dog owners are exercising their pets in the dark mornings and evenings and do not notice when their dog has fouled. The Department has worked closely with the Guernsey Police in recent years to tackle the problem and will be doing so again in 2014.
The dog restrictions during summer months are on seven of the most popular beaches. These restrictions have been in place for over 20 years and there are rarely complaints received from dog owners about the ban. The Environment Department has no information on the number of dogs on Guernsey.
In developing the legislation for the summer beach restrictions care was taken to ensure that the needs of those people who wanted assurance that the beach they visited would be dog free and those who wanted to enjoy the company of their pet whilst on the beach were both catered for. There is a reasonably good balance maintained with several spacious beaches and other coastal areas where dogs can be walked between May and September. There are no additional sites offered as alternative exercise areas in the summer.
Dogs may go off-lead at any time on beaches, subject of course to the summer dog restrictions. However, dog owners must remain in control of their pets and prevent them from causing nuisance to other beach users.
Contact Information:
Environmental Services Unit
Environment Department
Tel: 717200
