Ban makes walkers barking mad

Tuesday 3rd October 2006, 6:15PM BST.

Northycote Farm and Country Park has been declared out of bounds for people walking their pets under a tough new crackdown ordered by council bosses.

It aims to cut down on dog fouling on local authority-owned land and footpaths.

Anyone collared breaching the strengthened orders, which come into force from the beginning of next year and will replace existing by-laws, will risk fixed penalty fines or court action.

Exercising dogs on parts of the Northycote Farm would be outlawed, and they would have to be kept on the lead in other areas of the park.

The banning order would apply to land where livestock was kept and has been prompted by the savaging of a number of sheep by dogs.

It would also be an offence to allow dogs to foul any publicly-owned land in the city and for them not to be kept on leads on major roads.

Sisters Doreen Dyson, aged 76, and Valerie Bytheway, 61 (pictured) use the park three or four times a week throughout the year and often enjoy a cup of tea and lunch at the farm cafe as well.

They are annoyed that people let their dogs foul the footpaths and said business at the farm shop would suffer, but they vowed to continue walking their dogs Alfie and Fizz in the permitted areas.

Mrs Dyson, of Taunton Avenue, Fordhouses, said: “I think it is awful that a few dog owners are spoiling it for the rest of us.

“We carry bags and they are always on a lead, yet there are still people who let their dogs go on the footpaths.

“We thought it might not include where we walk but, if it does, we will miss it.”

Plasterer Richard Caddick, aged 36, and Claire Everitt, from Broad Lane, Wednesfield, own two Staffordshire Bull Terriers which are walked at Northycote Farm every day by his parents.

He said: “It is a nice park and there aren’t many in Wolverhampton. We have been coming here for two years now and we always find new parts of it.”

By Andy Rea

Popular stories:

View more: Clayton Ince news.