Not a single fine was issued over the summer to people flouting Clare County Council's new ban on dogs on the county's beaches, it was confirmed yesterday.
The afternoon ban on dogs at beaches came to an end last Friday and a council spokeswoman said that over the three months it was in place, not one fine was imposed on any individual walking a dog on the beach. In the bylaws brought into force last June, those found walking their dogs - even on a lead - on Clare's beaches between 11am and 6pm faced on-the-spot fines of €125, and fines of €1,270 if case went to court.
The spokeswoman did confirm that one fine was imposed on an individual who brought a horse on to Lahinch beach. "The emphasis in the first year of the beach bylaws was on awareness rather than enforcement," she said. Cllr Colm Wiley (FF) said yesterday: "The fact that not one fine was imposed shows that the new laws have not been enforced. The council has had no one policing the ban on dogs."
