Following a council meeting over the introduction of new Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO) it has been announced that there will be minimal changes to the seasonal dog bans on beaches throughout the South West.

Councillors from Cornwall Council met on Tuesday, January 31, to discuss PSPOs and dog control orders relating to dogs on beaches.

PSPOs are similar to the much derided ASBO but refer to a geographical location rather than an individual, and make it possible for authorities to criminalise certain behaviour within a specific area, such as taking dogs onto beaches.

There will be just three changes made to the bans that are already in place - in Gwithian, Porthleven West and Porth in Newquay.

Members of the council recommended that further work be carried out to harmonise the dates and times of seasonal dog bans across Cornwall.

At Gwithian the new PSPO has adjusted the boundary for where dogs are allowed on the beach, following the collapse of the steps at St Peters Point which left the area where dogs were allowed inaccessible.

At Porthleven West the PSPO will change the times when dogs are not allowed on the beach to 9am to 7pm, as opposed to 79am to 7pm as it was before.

And at Porth in Newquay the times when dogs are not allowed on the beach has also been changed to 9am to 7pm, from April 1 to September 30, as opposed to 24 hours from Easter day to October 1.

Geoff Brown, cabinet member for communities, said: "I'm really keen for the seasonal dog bans to be harmonised but we need to do more work to make that happen.

"Apart from the three changes - at Gwithian, Porthleven West and Porth - the timings for the dog bans on all the other beaches will remain as they are for the time being.

"In the meantime, I have asked for work to continue so that we can harmonise seasonal dog bans as soon as possible."

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