Finding Balance on the Beaches
Hastings Council is consulting on renewing dog controls. Rowena Rowling puts the case for keeping some beaches dog-free.
In recent summers, regular swimmers and beach users in Hastings may have been wondering what has happened to the regulations regarding dog-free beaches. Until 2020, when Hastings Borough Council (HBC) allowed the relevant Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to lapse due to Covid, dogs were restricted on beaches between 1 May and 30 September. During this summer period, dogs had free run of the beaches between Hastings Pier and Warrior Square and all the beaches west of the lifeguarded St Leonards beach. They were not allowed on the beaches between the Harbour Arm and the pier in Hastings, or from Warrior Square to the Royal Victoria Hotel in St Leonards. Thereby the two main swimming areas were, in principle, dog-free.
The council is currently consulting on a new PSPO addressing dog fouling, exclusion and dog control. However, newcomers and visitors were unlikely to know that the previous PSPO regarding dog-free beaches existed, due to woeful signage by HBC and a significant lack of enforcement. In recent years the signage has consisted of a small and complicated map, which few people stopped to interpret. Enforcement fell by default to lifeguards, who cover just one section of beach in St Leonards and one in Hastings. When individual swimmers pointed out that dogs were not allowed on specific beaches, they sometimes faced aggression from those dog owners who believed that the orders did not apply to them.
Sections of beach where dogs are excluded are important. They enable everyone, and especially children, to play without fear of acquiring serious zoonotic diseases from dog faeces. They also allow people to enjoy a beach without fear of being harassed and intimidated by uncontrolled dogs, which can be frightening to the elderly, children, and those who do not know if the dog poses a threat, and can unfortunately lead to stressful interactions with dog owners.
However, there seems little point having a PSPO if the public are not adequately informed that they exist, and they are not enforced. In the new PSPO the waters are also muddied by the proposal that restrictions on dogs on beaches only apply between 9am and 5pm. The proposal makes little sense, given that dog owners are just as (or more) liable to allow their pets to defecate on the beaches outside this time window. The beaches are used by swimmers at all times of day, and the evenings in particular can be very busy with children. It might technically reduce the wardens’ workload, but it would also defeat the point of having the rules in the first place.
Given that general civility has seemingly declined since Covid, and the rules surrounding dogs on beaches have lapsed, the council will have to work hard to make sure that any PSPO does not remain a mere paper edict. Signage showing where dogs are allowed and where they are restricted needs to be big, bold, clear, and placed at the entrances to all the beaches. Taking the cue from traffic signs would be a good start.
However, signs alone are not enough. There is prolific signage covering the rule that says that all dogs must be on a lead along the seafront promenades, yet it appears to be frequently ignored. PSPOs are enforced by wardens, but during many years of swimming on Hastings’ beaches I have never come across any. To make the PSPO effective, the Wardens Service will have to make the beaches a regular part of its beat during the summer months. There also needs to be a publicity campaign explaining the measures and making the public aware of any new rules so that everyone can comply.
Keeping some beaches dog-free not only helps to maintain the much-vaunted quality of Hastings and St Leonards’ swimming beaches but also ensures that everybody’s needs are catered for. Hopefully, the wardens will be more visible and effective than in the past so that swimmers who prefer to use a dog-free beach once again have that choice, and all dog owners respect the fact that not everyone wants to be dog-friendly all of the time.
• You can contribute to Hastings Council’s consultation on the dog control PSPO at hastings.citizenlab.co/en-GB/folders/dog-control
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