Clare not to impose beach ban on dogs

Clare County Council last night failed at the final hurdle to push through its proposal to ban dogs from the county's beaches this summer.

The late reprieve for dog-owners came after a heated debate during which the council was accused by some councillors of seeking to criminalise responsible dog-owners.

The ISPCA had voiced its opposition to the proposal to ban dogs from beaches, while Clare beach-users also voiced their opposition.

In the beach bylaws the council said that dogs - even those on a lead - would be banned from beaches between 11am and 6pm this summer.

Dog-owners accompanying their dogs during those hours would face on-the-spot fines of €125, or fines of up to €1,270 if the case went to court.

Last night Cllr Brian Meaney (Greens) accused his council colleagues of engaging in "populist banter".

"There are 35,000 dogs in Clare, yet only 1,700 have a licence," he said. "These bylaws are needed. You can't prosecute the dog; you can only prosecute the owner."

Cllr Pascal Fitzgerald told the chamber that he saw 34 stray dogs on a beach on Sunday.

Before the vote could be taken on proposing the new bylaws, Cllr Martin Lafferty tabled an amendment that any adoption be deferred until September to allow councillors study maps. This was carried 18-7.