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A former council chairman in a Devon village has had a bin bag full of dog poo poured into his open top sports car.

Ex-district and parish councillor Brian Moores says it is the latest in a long line of targeted, dog-related incidents which have also included bags of dog mess being hurled at his house and garden.

But after an entire dog bin's worth of mess was tipped into his Mazda MX5 outside his house, Mr Moores said he'd had enough and has now reported the matter to the police.

Mr Moores was the former chairman of Instow Parish Council in North Devon where there has been a long-running row over dog restrictions which were imposed on the village beach last summer.

As of 2018, a code of conduct was introduced by the parish council - then under the chairmanship of Mr Moores - whereby dogs are not permitted on a stretch of Instow beach between May 1 and September 30.

The measure was brought in by the council after a survey of the village found most people were in favour of the restrictions, which brings it in line with most other beaches in Devon.

However, not everyone was happy about the decision. Some dog owners were so incensed by the measure they formed a group called the Dog Walkers Alliance which continues to openly flout the ban.

Mr Moores believes the recent attack on his car, which he says happened two weeks ago, is connected to the issue.

He said: "This is the latest in a number of similar occurrences in which we have been targeted, even though I am no longer involved in the council.

"It's been going on for a couple of months now. We've had dog poo bags left on the drive, on our gate and even thrown at our balcony and garden.

"But a couple of weeks ago a black bag full of dog mess in bags was tipped onto the driver's seat of my open top Mazda car."

Mr Moores reported the incident to police who are understood to have CCTV images of the incident.

He says he is certain it is all connected to the beach code of conduct, not least because the bin bag full of dog mess that was dumped in his car actually came from a public dog bin close to the beach.

He said: "There is an aggressive group of dog walkers who just refuse to comply with the code and I am sure it is to do with that.

"I hadn't reported any of the previous incidents, me and my wife had just laughed about them.

"But this was really quite nasty and my wife is particularly upset. We feel rather unsafe and not very comfortable since it happened.

"The police are on the case and are due to speak to us about it over the next few days."

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101.

How did the issue of dogs on Instow beach come about?

The decision to introduce dog restrictions was made in 2018 after Instow Parish Council received complaints from families who had been using the beach.

The council conducted an independent survey of all residents last year asking them their thoughts about dogs on the beach.

The response rate for the survey was 52 per cent, with 74 per cent saying they would welcome dog restrictions during the peak summer months.

Former councillor Brian Moores, who oversaw the introduction of the restrictions, said: “The survey came back with the overwhelming response in favour of some form of restriction on dogs.

“It’s not a ban; it’s just a form of control and restriction. Instow is a dog friendly village and we want to maintain that, but we can’t have a free-for-all and that’s what it’s becoming.

“We have a duty as a parish council to ensure everybody using amenities is welcome, but in some situations you have to have restrictions to make it work.”

What does the code of conduct say about dogs?

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Here's the wording as it appears on the signs:

Dogs are allowed without restriction on the areas of the beach coloured gold on the map.

Dogs are not permitted on certain sections of the beach from 1st May to 30th September each year.

The restricted area is highlighted in pink on the map and stretched between the Quay and Lane End Road.

Dog owners must keep their dogs in sight and under control at all times.

Dog owners must clean up after their dogs at all times and dispose of the result in the dog litter bins provided

Do the dog restrictions impact local businesses?

One of the arguments put forward against the restriction of dogs on the beach is that business in the village will suffer.

Speaking last year to Devon Live, Councillor Moores said: "I don't see how business would suffer. I've spoken to several businesses along the parade and they have no problems with the restrictions.

"Dog walkers will still come here and they still have the majority of the beach to walk their dogs on. I really don't see how businesses will suffer."

Are the restrictions enforceable?

In short, no. But Councillor Moores hopes locals and visitors will respect them.

He said: "We would expect the community to abide by the code and hope people will respect these rules.

"The code is there for our village after all. I don't believe enforcement would actually work - no one is banning dogs, there's still loads of space for dogs and walkers.

"Instow is definitely still a dog friendly village."