20 December 2007
£430 penalty for Burnham Beeches dog walker
A dog walker who failed to keep her dog under effective control
at Burnham Beeches National Nature Reserve has been fined £130 and
ordered to pay £300 in costs at High Wycombe Magistrates Court. Mrs
P Gross of Littleworth Common pleaded guilty to a breach of one of
the site’s byelaws which states that it is an offence to: “bring a
dog onto Burnham Beeches that is not kept under effective
control”.
Andy Barnard the Superintendent of Burnham Beeches said:
“With two serious attacks on our sheep this year and recent
incidents involving deer, it is clear that far too many dog walkers
choose to let their pets roam at will. Unfortunately some visitors
are either unaware or unmoved by the fact that allowing a dog to
roam uncontrolled in a nature reserve such as this can cause a
great deal of harm to wildlife and livestock, as well as to other
site users and their dogs. Our Keepers have, on numerous occasions,
had to pick up the carcasses of young deer that have died from
injuries sustained in a dog attack, or have been called to the
scene of a collision between a car and a deer which has been chased
out of the woods by a dog. In such cases, just the stress of being
chased by a dog can be enough to kill a sheep or deer, not to
mention our concerns over road safety”.
He continued:
“Dog walkers often state that their pet is ‘very gentle’ or
‘wouldn’t do anything like that’, but time and time again it is
those same dogs which are responsible for attacks on livestock,
wildlife, visitors or other dogs. We would like to remind all dog
walkers that when allowed off a lead, many
dogs will chase and attack livestock and
wildlife. This court case makes the consequences of such
irresponsible behaviour clear for all to see.”
The City of London, which owns and manages the Beeches, Stoke
Common and around 4000 hectares of land in and around the capital,
uses a variety of rare breeds at the reserve to manage the
vegetation and maintain the open aspect of the historic landscape.
As well as Jacob and Herdwick sheep, British White cows, Exmore
ponies and the ever popular Berkshire pigs are used to help mange
the habitat in a way that began in medieval times.
The surviving sheep and cows are presently being held in their
winter grazing areas but visitors can still enjoy seeing the
Berkshire pigs and Exmore ponies roaming within a large 42 hectare
paddock on the reserve.
Ends
Notes to Editors
- For further information contact the site’s information Officer
Chris Morris on 01753 647358 or email
chris.morris@cityoflondon.gov.uk
- The site was purchased in 1880 under the Epping Forest
and Open Spaces Act
- For press information or images of the City’s open spaces,
please call Michelle Logie at the City of London on 020 7332
3450