Restrictions on owners of dogs sparks protest

About 25 of the animal lovers attended the town council's environment and leisure committee in their ongoing fight against restrictions being imposed on their pets in Hotham Park.

The committee agreed to write to Arun District Council to urge it to

reconsider its proposed crackdown on dogs being allowed to roam in the only park in Bognor.

Arun wants to impose a new dog control order on the open space to make it unlawful to take a dog off a lead there. It would also see dogs banned from the fenced conservation area in the park and its restored boating lake. Consultation ends on April 9.

It is the proposed need to keep dogs on leads around the rest of the park that has angered the owners. Kim Sussex was among those who went along to the committee meeting.

She said: "We were delighted to get the support of the town councillors.

"The majority of people who use Hotham Park are dog owners and the majority of those are responsible people who clear up after their dogs and keep them under control.

"We are being punished for the action of a very small number of dog owners.

"It is not the case that there are packs of marauding dogs running around the park attacking people or that you are walking through two feet of poo in there.

"We have been painted very negatively and that's not right."

Ms Sussex (52) moved to William Street nine years ago to enable her to be just five minutes' walk from the park to exercise her three dogs '“ a large collie, a medium-sized terrier and a small border terrier.

"There is nowhere else in Bognor where we can take our dogs," she explained.

"If I wasn't allowed to go there, I would have to buy a second car and drive somewhere else to exercise them. Many people will be in the same situation.

"These restrictions are being imposed by people who have no idea what it is like to be a dog owner.

"It will be a terrible blow if they go ahead and we must continue to fight against them."

Committee chairman Cllr Paul Wells said: "We are concerned that Arun is being too restrictive in what they are proposing.

"Now it has been restored, Hotham Park is an ideal area for everyone to be able to use.

"It would be wrong to effectively exclude dog owners from it and to make them have to go somewhere else to exercise their dogs off a lead."

What do you think? Click here to send a letter or leave a comment below.

Click here to go back to Chichester news

Click here to go back to Bognor Regis news

Click here to go back to Midhurst and Petworth news

To tell us where in the world you are reading this story click on the link below to add yourself to our readers' map.

MAP