Northumberland National Park has reintroduced a campaign encouraging visitors and dog walkers to be careful and considerate when visiting.
The park, which was voted the UK's favourite national park in a Which? survey last year, has placed new signage to ask visitors to keep their dogs on leads and under control to help ensure farm animals and wildlife are left undisturbed. Early spring is a crucial time of year for farms and wildlife, as there are many pregnant sheep and young animals living in the Park, as well as the arrival of several species of ground-nesting birds including oystercatchers, lapwing and curlew.
With the arrival of spring, dog visits are on the increase just as sheep are at their most vulnerable. At the same time, ground-nesting birds could lose a successful brood should they be disturbed.
