Sir, I would like to respond to last week’s letter from Nick Hale regarding the May - October dog ban on Tenby’s beaches. I feel owners who don’t pick up after their dogs should be banned from keeping them, but they are very much in the minority.

Local dog walkers have a vested interest in keeping the beaches clean because they use them daily, whereas the litter that people leave behind, including dirty nappies, defies belief.

I have never seen a boisterous dog knock over a small child, but the deep pits excavated above the tide line (whatever happened to sandcastles?) are hazardous to all ages.

Furthermore, many people come to Pembrokeshire because it is a dog friendly county and this boosts trade throughout the year. Dog walkers are often the only people on the beach in all weathers - see attached picture of deserted Castle Beach on May 1!

To suggest banning dogs from March 1 is extremely unfair.

Kathy Duffield,

St. Florence.

What nonsense!

Sir,

I feel I must respond to Mr. Hale’s letter in the Observer, Friday, April 27. What nonsense!

As a recent and frequent visitor to Tenby, we bring our dog as often as possible. Whilst I have never seen a dog walker fail to pick up any poo, the sea of course cleans the beaches twice a day.

Whilst Mr. Hale may be one of those who want to keep Tenby for the locals, I suspect that the shops and visitor attractions like to see people come and spend their money.

Rather than restricting access to beaches still further, I suggest that there should be no dog ban on North and Harbour beaches except at weekends during the summer months and state school holidays. At these times, dogs could reasonably be excluded from say 9 am to 7 pm as some children may be frightened by over-excited canines.

Trevor Honychurch, Llantwit Major,

South Glamorgan.

Beach dog ban is already long enough

Sir,

I am writing in response to Mr. Hale’s letter from April 27 about extending the beach dog ban in Tenby.

Whilst I appreciate that there will always be irresponsible dog owners who do not always clean up after their pets, the beach ban is already more than long enough to dog owning residents.

Most dog owners I know, help keep our beautiful beaches litter free after messy humans all through the year, clearing up after the holiday crowds have gone home.

I think that the amount of litter left by summer folk, whether local or tourist, far outweighs the issue of dogs on beaches.

Extending the ban may keep a few visitors happy, but at the expense of locals.

Pembrokeshire promotes itself as dog friendly, and a great holiday destination. This should be for everyone.

Kathryn Blayney,

Tenby.

Most dog walkers have their good points too!

Sir,

Once again there seems to be someone concerned about dogs on local beaches. If my reply makes it onto your letters page, the five-month dog ban on beaches will already be in force denying my two dogs access to our nearest beach, The North, which they habitually visit during the other seven months of the year.

They don’t understand why they have to change their habits all of a sudden, but I comply because I sort of agree with the reasoning behind it, although I would like the ban to be shorter, not longer.

Given our recent weather patterns, there are a lot of days in a row during the current ban when people wouldn’t think of going on the beach and I’ve seen it deserted. I don’t mind visitors coming to Tenby, but as residents, it seems to be impacting more on our daily lives to suit the visitors.

When I was young, visitors only came from Whitsun onwards and there was a cut-off point in September once children had gone back to school and we got our town back, but now visitors come all-the-year-round and a lot of them bring one, two or three dogs with them, as we did seem to be making the town more dog friendly, with water bowls outside shops and doggy menus in cafés that now allow dogs inside.

I am 65 and have never seen or heard of any dog on the beach jumping up and knocking a child over and, as for dog waste, I’ve seen human waste on North Beach, which nobody seems to mention, and I don’t just mean nappies.

I always use my dog waste bag for its purpose on the way over and fill it up with plastic waste on the way back, so I won’t be able to do that for the next 5 months. Please note that most dog walkers have their good points too!

Alyson Bush,

The Glebe,

Tenby