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A dog owner is warning others after she was fined £80 for having her dog off its lead in Central Park.

Lesley Smith, 55, was walking her yorkipoo, Bertie, in Pounds Park when she received the fine from a council enforcement officer, last month.

The area that Lesley was fined in has been a dog on lead zone for a number of years, and there are multiple signs in the park, assures the council.

While Lesley admits she was "in the wrong", she thinks the signs are "not adequate" and wants people to make sure they don't get caught out.

Lesley said that the enforcement officer told her the fines are in place because "dogs are dangerous in the park and they can attack children".

(Image: Penny Cross)

Lesley, a HR manager, said: "I find the signing is not adequate and also the sign that I missed at the top of the field at Pounds House was not very large, it was very high and it was covered by a branch.

"I’m not saying I’m innocent, I’m not, but the main thing is that it cost me so dearly.

"Check it all out first, make sure you’re not in the Pounds House area and keep them on the lead until you’re pretty sure that they are allowed off.

"I was absolutely astonished at the price of it. I know I was doing wrong, the £80 or £100 as some people have paid is just far, far too much."

Lesley said she was "shocked" when the officer printed her a ticket and that it can "frighten" people.

(Image: Penny Cross)

"When you see a uniform coming towards you, that is quite frightening for some people and they will get upset," she said.

Lesley added: "A fellow colleague was speaking to my husband and he was warning him to keep his dog on the lead because I was fined £80.

"He was astonished as he was charged £100, so there is a discrepancy.

"We since found out from the councillor that there were different payments as the machines weren’t set up properly."

(Image: Penny Cross)

A Plymouth City Council spokesman said: “The fine for failing to have your dog on a lead in an area that requires you to do so is £100.



“During the early stages of enforcing dog control, due to a technical anomaly, a small amount of £80 fines were mistakenly issued.



“This issue has now been rectified.”

There are various areas in Central Park where dog owners have to abide by rules.

A Plymouth City Council spokesman added: "There are two areas of Central Park in which dogs must be kept on leads.



“There is an area near Pounds House that has existed for a number of years and another section, south of the clock tower, as far as the boundary with the pitch and putt golf course.



“This was consulted on, approved and enacted in October 2017 and features land which when the Central Park improvements are complete, will be a family-orientated activity space featuring the new café, sports hub and the revamped play area.



"Signage at entrances to the park thanks residents for keeping their dogs on leads and details the consequences of not doing so.



"These two areas, along with all other places where dogs should be kept on leads or excluded, are governed by a Public Space Protection Order, which replaced the previous Dog Control Orders last year.

"As well as targeting littering, fly-posting and fly-tipping, our team of enforcement officers, in partnership with Kingdom Services, are also looking at dog fouling and dog control in restricted areas.



"All areas in which dogs must be kept on a lead in Plymouth can be found here - www.plymouth.gov.uk/animalsandpests/dogcontrol ”