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FINE NOT FINE WITHOUT A SIGN SAYS DOG WALKER

25-02-2008

Black Country dog owner Paul Perrins from Wednesbury reckons Sandwell Council is barking mad – they’ve fined him £75 for walking his dog in a cemetery, even though there are no signs banning it.

Paul was giving his pet boxer Molly her regular constitutional last Thursday morning in Wood Green cemetery when he was challenged by two wardens who told him he was breaking the law.

“They told me it was a dog exclusion zone, and that I’d have to pay £75” he said.

“I hadn’t got a clue what they were talking about.

"They said, ‘don’t you read the papers?’ and I told them that I didn’t. That didn’t stop them though.

"I thought they’d just give me a slap on the wrist, but they issued a fine.”

After the wardens had gone, Paul checked the entrance he uses to the cemetery at the bottom of Brunswick Park Road and is adamant that there is no warning notice – although he conceded there is one at the other access point in Wood Green Road.

“Half an hour later I went back with my camera to make sure I hadn’t made a mistake and I’ve got the photographic evidence that shows I’m right.

“What made me angry is that the wardens had gone but there were still people walking their dogs. I feel victimised.”

Last year Sandwell Council introduced a borough-wide clampdown on dog walkers, restricting access to playing fields and other green spaces. We'll give you their reaction as soon as we get it.