Exercise campaign continues

Dog walkers are continuing to work with Southwell Town Council to find land in the centre of the town where their pets can be exercised off the lead.

Since the introduction of dog control orders, they claim there is nowhere for them to exercise their pets properly.

Owners must keep dogs on leads on Minster Field.

Mr Malcolm Rose, vice-chairman of the council’s finance and policy committee, said they were still working to find a solution.

He said it was suggested dog walkers could be allowed to let their pets off the lead on the smaller of the two areas that make up Minster Fields.

The larger field is earmarked for use for youth sports.

But Mr Rose said dog walkers wanted to be able to use both fields freely.

He said another suggestion was for dog walkers to use Froggatt’s Field, off Church Street, recently bought by the town council.

Mr Rose said the council was looking to impose a dog control order on War Memorial Recreation Ground, which is heavily used by sports teams.

Mr Brendan Haigh said it must have been an oversight that the recreation ground was not already subject to a dog control order.

He suggested the area could be covered by a separate by-law.

Mr Haigh said: “The dog control order was not intended to release land covered by an existing bylaw.”

Mr Andy Gregory thought dogs had to be kept on leads on the recreation ground.

He said: “There have always been signs as you go through the gates saying dogs must be kept on leads.”

The committee agreed to look into the issue of the control order on the recreation ground and to continue working with dog walkers to find a solution that would allow them space to exercise their dogs freely.