As regular readers will know, the Cromercroxi love taking Canis cromercroxorum for walks on Cromer beach. A small section of the beach around the Pier is closed to dogs between May and September, but that’s fine – there’s plenty of beach to go round.
Except, that is, if this dreadful government has its way. Not content with ruining our lives in all sorts of other ways, it has a bill going through Parliament that could, potentially, get dogs baned from every single inch of our coastline.
The Marine and Coastal Access Bill, introduced by Labour Peer Lord Hunt of King’s Heath (which is about as far from the sea as it’s possible to be in England) and currently going through parliament, has a provision to create a path that goes round the nation’s entire coastline. Because the area and route for this would be quite specific, it opens the way for local councils to introduce Dog Control Orders for any or all parts of the route under their jurisdiction.
I for one intend to ignore this provision if it comes into law.
Goldie has never been to the seaside as she hates car travel, but would love to emulate Canis cromercroxorum if she could, and would happily put her paw to a petition. Maybe you should start one on the Downing Street website…
So it’s the local councils, not the government, who’d actually be banning the dogs?
What you really need is an elephant:http://www.gruts.com/archive/2008/06/27a/
@ Brian – poor Goldie! Retrievers are just made to be beach dogs. Heidi loves swimming, digging holes in the sand, rolling around in putrefying fish carcasses and other wholesome doggy things of that sort.@ Cath – yes, it would be the Councils. But Councils haven’t been slow to over-use provisions they’ve been given to nanny people, for example, using surveillance cameras and anti-terror laws to nab people for trivial offences.@ Richard – Yes – an elephant should put the fear of cold steel up ‘em.
In theory, local councils should be easier to influence… maybe a run for office is in your future!
The Lady Mayor of Cromer is Tory and very popular. I don’t think she’d put up with such rubbish.