Ministers accept dog beach ban petition

Ministers have accepted calls to ease dog restrictions on Jersey's beaches after a petition was signed by nearly 2,000 people.

The petition argued the rules became unnecessary outside of school holidays and once the busy tourist season has passed.

Minister for Sustainable Economic Development Gerald Voisin has since said reforms to the rules were "actively being looked at" and he was preparing legislation for the States Assembly to consider.

If approved, Voisin said the changes would mean next year's dog restrictions would start later and end earlier to "better align with the school holidays".

Current rules state dogs must be on a lead between 10:30 BST and 18:00 from 1 May to 30 September on every beach.

A total of 1,942 people signed the petition calling for the measures to be eased.

They asked to shorten the ban window so the rules were only in place between 30 May and 7 September.

In response, Voisin said: "Having considered the proposals of this petition, I will be asking my officials to prepare the necessary legislative changes to allow this to be debated by the States Assembly.

"This will provide for an opportunity to consider the changes against factors such as the impact on other beach users."

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