Okehampton Town Council turned down a proposal this week to further restrict dog-friendly areas in Simmons Park by erecting extra fencing around the play area.

The discussion, held on June 20, was sparked by a letter to the council, arguing that irresponsible dog owners were failing to clean up after their dog, control their pet or abide by the park’s rules on dogs.

It said: ‘People who are picnicking are now complaining about the amount of dog poo; I have actually picked up mess that is not my dog’s mess as I don’t want well-behaved dogs and responsible dog owners being penalised.

‘I have also observed dogs who are clearly not controlled approaching people who are having picnics; when the weather warms up this is only going to get worse. Some dog owners are also not abiding by the new rules.’

The writer suggested that the council consider a new fence encircling both the younger and older children’s play equipment to provide a family-friendly and dog-free zone within the park.

However, councillors rejected the idea, arguing that many areas of the park were already being fenced off and to do so would mean continuing to encroach on public land.

Cllr Terry Abbots said: ‘It seems we are fencing, fencing, fencing, fencing. We’ve had the cricket pitch and the football pitch fenced off and the school wants to put up some more. If we keep going we will only have a few narrow walkways left.’

Many other councillors have also resisted the idea citing the high financial burden of such an endeavour and questioning whether it was a real necessity.

Cllr Christine Marsh arguing that ‘it is a cost we don’t have in our budget for this year’ while Cllr Paul Jessop pointed out that the play park for younger children was already a fenced-off, dog-free zone.

‘I don’t think the older children will appreciate being fenced in,’ he added.

But the decision is unlikely to quell ongoing concerns raised by Okehampton residents over the disruptive behaviour of some dogs and the anti-social behaviour of their owners and some Okehampton residents have been receptive to the idea of an extra fence.

Mum-of-four Chrissie Read said: ‘We have had food taken by unsupervised dogs so a fence would be a fantastic idea. It would have to have safer gates than what is around the younger children’s area at the moment.

‘To make everyone happy maybe it could have safe and sturdy clips for people to tie their dogs to and a few shaded spaces for dogs to sit under in the weather and clip-on drink bowls.

‘I’m a mum-of-four but have just got a puppy so my interest is on both sides.’

From April 1 this year, dog owners have been required to keep their pets on leads on the formal garden side of the park following the town council’s review of the Public Space Protection Orders for Dog Control which was approved by West Devon Borough Council in 2020.

This is in addition to play areas and the cricket field which are also dog exclusion zones, though anyone with a registered assistance dog is still able to enter a dog-free zone without penalisation. However, dogs are still allowed off leads on the open public areas of parkland and on large sections of Dartmoor.

Since this rule was introduced, park keepers have been able to report any incidents of rule-breaking to dog wardens who handle cases of infringement.

Borough council rules also require dog owners to dispose of their dog’s waste correctly and can face a fine of up to £100 if they fail to do so.

Since 2020 when the new dog control order was introduced, owners are required to carry the means of clearing up after their dog, keep their dogs on leads in designated areas and on 30mph speed limit roads or if asked by an authorised officer and prevent their pets from entering a dog exclusion zone.