Dogs to be banned from Clare beaches
Dog-owners are enjoying their last days of freedom on beaches in Co Clare before a strict new by-law comes into effect this Thursday.
The new law will ban dogs from all beaches in the county between the hours of 11am and 6pm during the summer months.
People who breach the laws could face fines of up to €1,270 if they choose to take the issue to court.
The law is being introduced as part of a crackdown on a range of "nuisances" on Clare's beaches.
These include littering, camping, fires, late-night parties and the use of motorised craft like jet-skis.
The crackdown had been requested by gardaí, but local councillor Colm Wiley said today that dog-owners were being unfairly targeted.
"They can come," he said, "but they must come before 11 and after six and, with tides coming and tides going out, often there's no beach there before 11 and there's very little beach there after six o'clock in the evening."
