During the summer season each year there’s a ban on taking dogs on ‘bathing’ beaches on the Fylde Coast. Blackpool, Cleveleys and Fleetwood the ban is from 1 May to 30 September. In St Annes the ban begins on Good Friday.
Dogs are excluded from designated bathing beaches to maintain clean standards of bathing water. It’s a rule which applies in almost all seaside towns in the UK. Don’t worry, there are plenty of other places where you can walk your four legged friend. Take a look at where you CAN’T and CAN go –
Where you CAN’T go with Dogs on Beaches
Dog Control Orders on the beach apply to the designated bathing beaches in each of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre local authority areas.
- Dogs aren’t allowed on Blackpool beach between North Pier and the Solaris
- No Dogs on St Annes main amenity beach around the Pier, in the borough of Fylde
- Dogs banned from Cleveleys beach between Cafe Cove and the Blackpool boundary, in the borough of Wyre
- No Dogs on Marine Beach, Fleetwood, which is also in Wyre
Assistance dogs are allowed in areas where the ban would otherwise apply, but they should not be exercised off lead in these areas.
If you are caught walking your dog in one of the dog ban areas you will receive a Fixed Penalty Notice and a fine. The amount varies depending on which council area you are in.
Beaches where you CAN go with your dog
The biggest majority of beaches in Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre are open to dogs and their humans. Most of them have nearby parking available, or public transport if you don’t live near enough to walk.
From north to south, here’s where you CAN go with your dog:
In Fleetwood from the Ferry and RNLI, along The Esplanade to the site of the former Fleetwood Pier. (No dogs on Fleetwood beach from the site of the former pier to the Kite Club)
From the Kite Club (opposite The Mount) past the boating lakes and new Rossall Sea Defences to Rossall Beach at Cleveleys.
Rossall Beach at Cleveleys to The Venue and start of the stepped sea defences at the seafront cafe. (No dogs on Cleveleys beach along the whole of the stepped sea defences)
From the Shipwreck memorial on the boundary of Cleveleys and Blackpool at Kingsway/Anchorsholme – all the way through Bispham to Blackpool.
Blackpool North Beach up to the north side of North Pier. (No dogs on Blackpool beach between North Pier and the Solaris)
New South Promenade from the Solaris Centre at the Mirrorball, to the sand dunes at St Annes, as far as the Pier. (No dogs on St Annes beach from Danfo toilets at the right of St Annes Pier, to the Lifeboat slipway at the side of the pond)
From the Promenade Gardens at St Annes, all the way along the seafront past Fairhaven Lake and Granny’s Bay.
From Granny’s Bay at the White Church, past Church Scar at Lytham, and the whole of Lytham waterfront.
More details for Specific Fylde Coast Beaches
There’s additional information for the dog bans on beaches in each of these areas at the following links:
- Details for dog bans on Fylde beaches (St Annes)
When You Walk your Dog on a Beach…
Please be a responsible dog owner and ALWAYS pick up after your pet.
- Think about other dog walkers whose pets will be attracted to the smell of your pets waste (gruesome, but true!)
- Be aware that other beach users may step in it.
- Think about the environment, and what effect multiple piles of dog waste will have in polluting the sea.
- Keep an eye on what your dog picks up – as well as what it leaves behind. Palm Oil, fishing hooks, and random noxious things are all hazards to fur-babies on beaches.
Any dog owners must pick up after their pet when walking them on the beach.
- This applies on all beaches all through the year,
- It also applies wherever you are on the beach – above or below the tideline.
- And it applies to any dogs fouling on the hard-standing of the promenade footpaths too.
- Please read and follow the information notices which can be found at each local beach.
And here’s what happens if you don’t pick up…
- Faeces are washed out to sea when they’re left on a tidal beach. That can affect the quality of sea water during the testing season.
- On a beach which remains dry at high tide your pets little pile could sit there for weeks before finally decomposing. It’s a health hazard to all those around it, makes our lovely beaches dirty and unhygenic and is just plain nasty. Please don’t do it.
- When you’re caught walking a dog in a restricted area you will get a fixed penalty notice and a fine.
The majority of dog owners are responsible. Please follow their example. Please don’t be the dog owner who gives everyone else a bad name. It’s because some people just will not pick up that we have dog control orders on the beach. If everybody could be trusted to pick up, everytime, things might be different!
What to do with Dog Poo
Bagged dog waste goes in any public bin
It’s actually worse to leave bagged dog poo on the path or on the beach, rather than just walking away from it.
- It won’t decompose inside a plastic bag.
- Leaving a bag on the floor turns biodegradable waste into non-rotting litter.
- Warm and moist conditions inside the bag are a breeding ground for bacteria.
- The bag itself can be a choking or entanglement hazard to wildlife and animals.
Picking up after your dog is just one of the things that people can do to help improve bathing water quality here on the Fylde coast.
Just Pick it Up
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is just one of many big organisations which campaigns for dog poo to be picked up. Some people just carry on, regardless of how many times the message is repeated. Please don’t be that person!
They point out that dog dirt causes high levels of bacteria and leads to both reduced water quality and a human health risk. “Pet owners please think ahead and carry plastic bags” the MCS spokesperson said. And added “Then take the bag off the beach and bin it in one of the many receptacles provided for the job.”
British Waterways also launched a campaign to stop dog walkers leaving bags of dog dirt hanging from trees and hedgerows near canals. That’s another another common sighting in rural areas, as it is here on the Fylde Coast.
Please don’t let our Fylde Coast beaches end up filthy, or any of our beautiful rural spots. Pick up your dog’s poo wherever it lands. You can put your wrapped dog dirt in any of the bins for ordinary litter.
…and how to make picking up easier!
OK, so we all know that if you’re not prepared to pick up after a dog then you shouldn’t get a dog in the first place. But it doesn’t alter the fact that it’s a grim task! Having owned dogs for many years we’ve got a couple of our own top tips for you:
- Feed your dog on kibble rather than wet dog food (or give them mostly kibble and a bit of wet food). The dry kibble absorbs water in their digestive tract and the resulting stools are firmer and much more easy to pick up. Bye bye sloppy poo (that gets stuck down their fur, eugh!) and is nigh on impossible to scrape up!
- If you don’t like the feel of poo when you pick it up the answer is simple. Put your hand in the plastic bag as usual but use a tissue or loo roll to pick it up with. Not only do you loose the feel of warm, squashy poo in your fingers, it’s also easier to pick up (or wipe up!)
Hope you enjoyed our faeces friendly guide 🙂
Other Dog Friendly Places
Here at Visit Fylde Coast we’re always on the look-out for places where you can take your dog. Take a look at our guide to dog friendly places which includes shops, restaurants and businesses where you can go with your four legged friend.
If you know any more that we’ve not included, add them to the list by emailing jane@theRabbitPatch.co.uk
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