P-06-1527 Review dog walking restrictions on Welsh beaches and issue guidance to relevant bodies

Petitions4

This petition was submitted by Philip Coates, having collected 361 signatures.

Text of petition:

In Scotland and Northern Ireland dogs are banned from beaches from 1 June – 15 Sept (incl).
In England, such as Cornwall, dog bans cover the shorter period 15 May – 30th September for Blue Flag beaches and the school holiday period of 1 July – 31st August for other beaches, but additionally allow out of hours dog access between 6pm and 10am.
In not so sunny, rain and windswept Wales the banned period is 1 May – 30th September or even longer (with NO out of hours’ time exceptions) and this applies for some general beaches, for green coast awards and for Blue Flag beaches. This is even 2 weeks before the commencement of the official bathing season on 15 May under England and Wales Bathing Water Regulations 2013.
There is NO presumption that Blue Flags should cover the entirety of a beach or that their season should be fixed 15 May – 30 September (or even from 1 May!) or to exclude out of hours access. Keep Wales Tidy (who classify Blue Flag beaches in Wales) say that it is up to the applicant body to decide how long the Blue Flag season will be within the timeframe of the Bathing Water season and other considerations.
Responsible dog owners pick up and help educate and police others. They recognise the value of excluding dogs on busy beaches in the summer. But they are fed up of being excluded from deserted beaches for 5 months of the year for no good reason whatsoever.
Local Authorities have scarce resources and cannot afford to police dog exclusions from beaches unnecessarily. A better supported, shorter closed period to dog walking would reduce burdens upon them.
A review of the timing of dogs on beaches is in keeping with the recent (November 2024) Bathing Water Regulations 2013 consultation. To aid flexibility Governments in England and Wales have supported a removal of regulation 4 (fixed bathing season) from the regulations to guidance.

Additional information:

We, responsible dog owners of Wales, call on the Senedd to recognise the value of dogs – socially, to the economy of Wales, to our tourism and to the health and welfare of dog owners. Also, the merits of walking dogs on expansive beaches as opposed to muddy fields, paths or parks.
We ask the Senedd to debate the matter and to support the Welsh Government in issuing guidance (as appropriate) to Welsh Local Authorities (LA), NRW and Keep Wales Tidy that the default dog ban period on Welsh beaches should follow that generally of Cornwall, being 1 July – 31 August and with additional 6pm – 10am out of hours access, except where Local Authorities make the case for longer exclusion. Where a LA calls for a longer exclusion, it should take into account the availability of nearby beach walking opportunity and social and economic impacts.

Status

This petition was considered completed by the Petitions Committee at its meeting on 16/06/2025. 

Full details of the consideration of this petition by the Committee and related documents can be seen on the Meetings tab above. 

It was first considered by the Petitions Committee on 16/06/2024.

Senedd Constituency and Region

• Gower
• South Wales West

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