THE chairman of a Burnham-on-Sea group is urging dog walkers to stay off the town’s beaches as the seasonal ban on canines is back in force.

Tom Ashton, of Burnham Information and Rescue Support (BIARS), says he has seen a number of residents walking their dogs on Burnham-on-Sea beaches despite warnings from Sedgemoor District Council that they could receive a £75 fine - of which 15 have been handed out in recent months.

“There are three beaches in Burnham-on-Sea, one of which has a dog ban all year round,” Mr Ashton said.

“The other two beaches have bans on them for part of the year and there are signs all around the Esplanade telling people not to take their dogs on the beach.

“In the last week or so I have approached three people, all of them Burnham residents who have been walking their dogs on the beach and have kindly told them to move off.

“Sedgemoor District Council has clearly signposted the fact that dogs are not allowed on the beach and a lot of residents don’t seem to be keeping in line with the rules.

“We have a lot of holidaymakers come to Burnham and many residents just assume that they are going on the beach during the ban.

“I would urge residents to take note of the ban and make sure they keep their dogs off the beach during the ban or they could face a £75 fine. I don’t want Burnham holidaymakers to be given a bad name when it is residents who are ignoring the ban.”

The ban,which runs from May 1 to September 30, stops dog owners from walking their dogs on the town’s three main beaches so they can be open to tourists during the summer.

Sedgemoor District Council has spray painted yellow warning notices along Burnham’s Esplanade in an effort to warn dog owners that taking their pets on the beach could mean they get a hefty fine.

A spokesman for Sedgemoor District Council, said: “During the dog ban period, it is an offence to take your dog onto the beach and dog walkers can be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £75 or face prosecution for doing so.

“Sedgemoor’s dog wardens undertake patrols at the beaches and will issue fixed penalty notices to those caught with dogs on the banned beaches.

“In the last few months, the dog wardens have issued 15 fixed penalty notices for dogs on the beach, between the jetty and the Pavilion, where dogs are banned all year round.

“To remind people of the dog bans, the dog wardens have sprayed chalk stencils at locations along the Esplanade in addition to the normal signage.”

The council added that they will continue to repaint the notices throughout the season to ensure the ban is enforced.

Mr Ashton added: “I have seen that a number of residents are ignoring the ban and are also letting their dogs poo on the Esplanade.

“I think people need to make sure they clean up after their dogs so it is a nice place for residents to walk their dogs.”

Mike Murphy, chairman of Highbridge Chamber of Trade, has been at the forefront of fighting the ongoing problem of dog mess in the town and said more needs to be done to combat the problem.

He said: “I am not surprised at the news of careless dog owners turning our Esplanade into a toilet.

“I urge residents to get active or they could be stepping out of their doorsteps into dog mess.”