Dog bite attack in park highlighted as councillor worried over ‘free roaming’ pets

Dogs are required to be on leads at all times in the borough’s parks, under a public spaces protection order issued by the council.

But Redcar councillor Alison Barnes suggested there was insufficient enforcement which could trigger fines for pet owners caught flouting the rules.

Coun Barnes highlighted a previous incident in her local park, Zetland Park, in which a man required hospital treatment after being bitten in the leg by a marauding dog.

She said: “There have been several recent incidents in the park where free roaming dogs – with their owners present – have bitten other dogs and a member of the public.”

Coun Barnes said the local authority should consider recruiting additional enforcement officers, even if just on a temporary basis over the summer when parks were at their busiest and anti-social behaviour was likely to increase.

She said: “They could also be used for issues such as littering, dog fouling and illegal parking.”

Speaking at a council meeting, cabinet member for neighbourhoods Councillor Neil Bendelow said it only had a small enforcement team and it was not possible to provide a dedicated resource to a particular park, although patrols were carried out.

He said: “If councillors or residents are concerned, they should report incidents and occurrences to the council and the community enforcement team will carry out increased patrols at differing times of the day with a view to both educating and enforcing the restrictions.”

Coun Bendelow said a “lot of extra work” could be done in enforcement, but “unfortunately everything is resource driven”.

Coun Barnes shared a photo with the Local Democracy Reporting Service of the victim’s leg following the incident she highlighted, which showed puncture wounds and extensive bruising.

She said: “There’s not enough enforcement staff on the ground, we need more.

“Dogs are supposed to be on leads in the park, but a lot of them are not, and people don’t care because they don’t fear any action.

“Fining people would persuade them to adhere to the rules.

“They ignore it because they get away with it.

“On occasion if you say to somebody their dog should be on a lead, you get a whole load of abuse and everything else.”

Cleveland Police said it did not have a record of the attack mentioned by Coun Barnes, but would examine potential criminal liability on a non-aggravated or aggravated basis, and also took civil action against dog owners where necessary.

Sergeant Chris Lambert, of the force’s dog training unit, said: “Under Section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, criminal liability arises where a dog is dangerously out of control.

“A non-aggravated offence is committed where there are grounds for a person to reasonably fear that the dog may injure them, even if no injury occurs. The offence becomes aggravated where the dog causes injury to a person, or attacks an assistance dog.

“The circumstances of each incident, including the actions of the owner or person in charge of the dog, are considered when assessing liability and determining the most appropriate enforcement action.”

He added: “In addition to criminal proceedings, Cleveland Police will frequently consider civil action under Section 2 of the Dogs Act 1871 where necessary to protect the public.

“This can include applications for control orders, destruction orders and disqualification orders.

“These powers help ensure proportionate action is taken to manage risk and promote responsible dog ownership.”