THIS half-term holiday I took my family to Swanpool Beach. Imagine what a delightful sight it was to be greeted by a dog defecating. Throughout our visit there were young children playing in the sand as well a steady stream of dogs making a mess, not all of it cleaned-up.

How depressing to know that Cornwall's beaches are now nothing more than a dog toilet even during the holiday period.

It is not enough to say that the beach is "washed clean" by the storms as some of the mess is deposited above the high water-mark. I implore the council to think very hard about any relaxation of the rules: it’s dangerous to health - my eldest was attacked by a loose dog on the same beach in the past and it’s bad for tourism - I'm thinking twice about visiting again. In the same way that smoking is banned in pubs and everyone now wears a seat-belt then polluting beaches should be consigned to history.

At the very least consideration should be given to having dedicated dog-free beaches all year round. 

Name and address supplied,
(sent by email)