Public spaces protection orders (PSPO)
A Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) has been introduced to cover Lancaster city centre, Morecambe town centre, and lower Heysham.
The order, which also covers Happy Mount Park and Williamson Park, provides police and authorised officers with additional powers to crackdown on behaviour which is causing ‘annoyance, harassment, alarm or distress’.
There are also extra measures to stop people drinking alcohol on the streets and to confiscate it if necessary, and to prevent people possessing or taking ‘psychoactive substances’, including nitrous oxide.
Dog control PSPOs
In November 2020 a number of Public Space Protection Orders were approved that enabled the council to deal with issues such as dog fouling on our streets and parks, dogs and leads, and dogs out of control which can cause road traffic accidents, nuisance and aggression.
There are four PSPOs relating to dog control:
1. Removal of dog faeces
This makes it an offence to fail to remove dog faeces on any land which is open to the air on at least one side and to which the public are entitled or permitted to have access. There is a blanket designation across the entire district.
2. Dog exclusion (PDF)
There are certain places where dogs could present particular risks and where it is prudent to ban them completely for all or part of the year. These are termed ‘dog-exclusion areas’ for the purposes of this PSPO.
This order makes it an offence to permit a dog to enter defined areas of land from which dogs are to be lawfully excluded, and applies to:
- Enclosed children’s playgrounds, enclosed sports pitches, the splash park in Happy Mount Park
- Morecambe's North and South beaches between 1 May and 30 September each year
3. Dogs on leads under direction
This order makes it an offence not to put and keep a dog on a lead when directed to do so by an officer authorised in writing by the council. This is intended to be used under exceptional circumstances where a dog is causing a nuisance. There is a blanket designation throughout the district, enabling this power to be used as necessary, for example when a dog is running around out of control during a sporting event, or where lots of children are playing.
4. Dogs on leads
This makes it an offence not to keep a dog on a lead on defined areas of land. This applies to:
- All public highways, footways and adjoining verges, including Morecambe Promenade, and pedestrianised areas
- Car parks and public vehicle parking areas maintained by the council
- Cemeteries and churchyards
- Certain council parks and gardens
Last updated: 22 November 2024