Guest blogpost from Joanne Bell, Dog Walkers Alliance, North Devon:
“Dog Walkers Alliance’ has been campaigning for six years against Instow Parish Council, who are trying to ban dogs on Instow Beach merely because a minority on this council hate dogs. This is a tidal estuary with signs all along the beach warning people not to swim at any time due to dangerous currents; the most polluted water in the whole of Europe; sewage discharge and farm run off; quicksand & boat moorings. IPC initially hoped to acquire a PSPO from North Devon Council to ban dogs, but failed. However, they are still trying to introduce a ban via the back door by maintaining the beach is ‘childfriendly’, and attempting to minimize the seriousness of the water contamination. We are determined they will fail.
We have had enormous help from Josie Appleton & the Manifesto Club. We are ‘lucky’ in a way in our battle against the council because our water is so polluted – no responsible parent/holidaymaker would want their children to swim or paddle in this contaminated water. The business community is also totally supportive of us as they know better than anyone, that without the dogwalkers for five months of the year – they would suffer economically.
We must all stand together and fight these pernicious PSPO’s that restrict all our freedoms.
Sign the petition: Stop the dog ban on Instow Beach