MOVES to make Morecambe's beaches dog-free zones have upset and angered local dog owners.

The council claim the dog ban is essential if the resort is to win a prestigious Seaside Award for clean beaches.

But dog lovers across the district claim the beach is one of the few places where they can let their dogs off the lead.

One dog owner, Pennie Jelliff, who has a mongrel called Saffy said: "If you clean up after your dog then surely there's no problem. It's not fair on the dog to keep it on a lead all the time. They need to run about and the beach is one of the safest places away from traffic. The council seem to have a real downer on dogs at the moment. Dog owners are increasingly being made to feel like social outcasts."

Morecambe councillor, David Kerr, was also against the ban. He said: "All responsible dog owners have a right to take their pets on the beach. Horses foul the beach - are they to be banned as well? We should work with the residents and dog owners instead of telling them what to do. It's their beach as much as anyone."

But Tourism Chairman, Cllr June Ashworth, said the ban was essential if the resort was to become truly family-friendly.

She said: "I can't think of any proposal more in keeping with Morecambe's motto, Health Abounds - Beauty Surrounds. The spurs of rock armour that have been built as part of the new sea defences are noticeably bringing more sand back to the central beaches. In summer these beaches are attracting more and more families. But holiday makers will only return if the shoreline is kept clean and safe."

She added: "Dogs are already banned from the formal children's playgrounds provided along the promenade, it's a logical step to ban them from the beaches that become children's playgrounds in the summer."

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