Town council supports dog ban on Cranbrook sports pitches

Ingrams sports fields, soon to be out of bounds for dog walkers. Ref mhc 05 20TI 7195. Picture: Terry Ife Archant

Dog walking could be banned on Cranbrook’s sports pitches after excrement was reportedly left on the fields.

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The blanket ban could be enforced on the entire Ingrams sports site, close to the Grange Court Hotel on London Road, in the form of a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO).

The order would have to be introduced by East Devon District Council (EDDC), but the town council unanimously supported the idea on Monday, January 20.

In the meantime, councillors agreed to put up signs banning dogs.

Councillor Ray Bloxham said the pitches are used by more than 80 children each weekend, who are part of various junior football teams.

He said: "If a child has an open wound and slid on the pitch and picked up dog poo into the wound, it's very serious and could even require surgery to make sure there's no long-lasting impact on them.

"It's very important that the area is kept clear of dog poo.

"Whether or not we get an official PSPO dog ban, what we want is to keep dogs out, and we would hope the public would respect that."