A council committee has recommended that dogs should be excluded from sports pitches in Carmarthenshire. The place, sustainability and climate change scrutiny committee voted unanimously on the recommendation, which was put forward by Councillor Colin Evans.
Introducing a ban would require an additional public space protection order following consideration and approval by cabinet, and the committee was told that such a measure would have to be evidence-based and proportionate. There is already a public space protection order in force in Carmarthenshire which requires owners to pick up their dog's mess, among other things. Since the order was introduced in 2016 there have been 3,354 dog-related complaints, including fouling. These have led to 108 fixed penalty notices and six prosecutions.
Committee chairman, Councillor John James, said it was an emotive issue. Referring to the results of a survey in a report before the committee, he said: "I think it shows we have a problem and people want to do something about it."
