From May to September, many beaches in England introduce dog bans as the warmer weather brings crowds of sunbathers and families down to the shore for a sunny day out.
There are bans in place on beaches across the North West and Yorkshire, so if you don’t want to be caught out, it’s best to wise up on where you can and can’t go with your pooch well ahead of time – or you could end up being fined as much as £1,000.
To make sure you don’t fall foul of environmental officers handing out fines, we’ve put together a list of all the beaches to avoid between 1 May and 30 September.
Unfortunately, not every beach is open to man’s best friend this summer – at least not between 1 May and 30 September.
North West
Beaches to avoid in the North West during this period include Ainsdale, Blackpool, Cleveleys, Fleetwood and Southport.
Ainsdale – The beach at Ainsdale must be kept free of dogs for 200m on either side of the main beach entrance and down to the tide itself.
Blackpool – The beach at Blackpool needs to be kept clear of dogs between North Pier and the Mirror Ball, opposite the Solaris Centre, throughout the summer. Up on the pier, dogs must be kept on leads throughout the season.
Cleveleys – Dogs are not allowed on the beach at Cleveleys from Cage Clove to Wyre Borough Boundary throughout the summer.
Fleetwood – Dogs are banned from the east side of the Fleetwood beach slipway eastward to the west side of the former pier.
Southport – From the Pier south towards Pleasureland (for 555m) up to the tide line, dogs must be kept clear of the beach at Southport.
Read more: RSPCA finds seven snakes abandoned at house in Rochdale
Yorkshire
Beaches to avoid in Yorkshire during this period include Bridlington North and South, Filey, Hornsea, Sansend, Scarborough South and North Bays, Whitby and Withernsea, reports The Hoot.
Bridlington – At Bridlington, dog walkers are not to cross the areas between the northern end of North Marine Promenade and the north-eastern face of the North Pier, or between the southern face of the South Pier and the eastern face of Princess Mary Promenade Sea Wall.
Filey – Placed tenth in 2020 on a list of the UK’s favourite beaches, Filey also bans dogs over the summer. Walkers need to look out for the northernmost side of the beach slipway, which separates the Coble Landing from the Promenade. Everywhere from here to the southernmost point of the sea wall at Royal Parade is out of bounds.
Hornsea – Another popular Yorkshire beach included in the 2014 Good Beach Guide, Hornsea excludes dogs between the concrete ramp at Headland View and the steps south of Sands Lane.
Sansend – Everything at Sansend is out of bounds for pups, from the steps below the public conveniences below Sandhills to the slipway at the southern end of Bank Bottom car park. Similarly in Scarborough, both the North and South Bays are entirely off-limits to dogs.
Whitby – At Whitby, dogs are allowed at Tate Hill if they are kept on a lead – but must avoid the West Beach, from the West Pier to the promenade from the east side of the beach steps adjacent to the western end of the beach chalets.
Feature image – The Manc Group
