A Clare County Council committee has recommended that dogs be banned from the county's beaches on summer afternoons. Draft beach bylaws propose that dogs, even those on a leash, be banned from beaches between 11am and 6pm.
Last year, Clare's estimated dog population of 35,000 had a late reprieve as the council stalled on the introduction of the bylaws due to legal uncertainty.
However, the council's special policy committee (SPC) on the environment yesterday recommended that newly-drafted bylaws go before next Monday's meeting of the council in order to have them enacted for the summer season.
Under the proposed new laws dog-owners found accompanying their dogs during afternoons on Clare's popular beaches, including Lahinch and Spanish Point, face on-the-spot fines of €125 or fines of up to €1,270 if the case goes to court.
Repeat offenders will be liable to fines of €125 per day.
Dogs will be allowed on to beaches before 11am and after 6pm on condition that they are on a leash and that they are not causing annoyance, danger, or nuisance to any person using the beach.
The bylaws will also make it an offence to bring horses onto beaches between the hours of 11am and 6pm.
The proposed ban on dogs follows a catalogue of offences by dogs on Clare's beaches reported by Clare's dog warden, Frankie Coote.
Mr Coote said yesterday he welcomed the proposed introduction of the bylaws because it would make Clare's beaches much easier to patrol.
He said some of the incidents include a dog biting a child's face and an elderly man suffering a broken hip after being knocked down by a dog. Another person suffered a broken hand as a result of a dog attack.
The SPC yesterday agreed to recommend to council that the draft bylaws be published in spite of opposition to the new laws by two committee members.
Kate Browne of Clare Animal Welfare yesterday supported the proposed ban.
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