It was with disbelief, and indeed dismay, that I read of the proposal by Brighton and Hove City Council to ban dogs from all beaches during the summer months (The Argus, February 22). We are a nation of dog owners and for those of us who choose to live near the sea with a dog, and there are many of us, it is a restriction that would affect the fundamental nature of our summers in Brighton and Hove .

Apparently there is a consultation process but reading about the proposed ban in City News was the first my friends and I had heard of it.

We are a group of families who own beach huts at Hove Lagoon, I co-own our hut with another family with a dog and we have been there for 15 years. We moved the hut by forklift at the time we bought it, to be adjacent to a dog-friendly beach.

Dogs love swimming in the sea in hot weather and our families spend whole days at the beach because we can have the dog with us. To remove this option would seriously impinge on our freedom of choice and make the time spent at the beach far more limited and deprive dogs of something they love as much as their human companions.

I fully support the idea that dogs roaming free on packed beaches pestering people and messing on the beach unsupervised by their owners is totally unacceptable and revolting (to non-dog owners and dog owners alike). However, I don't see why there is a problem keeping the current system of having some dogfriendly beaches with the added bylaw of dogs being required to be kept on leads between May and September.

Additionally, I believe there is a fundamental flaw in this bylaw which makes it unreasonable and unenforceable, namely that there is no restriction on dogs on leads on the promenade and clearly there can be no restriction on a dog swimming in the sea as this is not owned by the council.

This means we have an absurd situation where we could technically carry a dog down to the the sea for a swim and then carry it back to the promenade but not allow the dog to walk across the beach.

I suspect the outcry from beachgoing and beach hut-owning dog owners, if the council implements this proposal, will be substantial.

  • Liz Cook, Lincoln Street Brighton

Brighton and Hove City Council is consulting on the introduction of new dog control orders.

Presently dogs are allowed on a few designated beaches between May and September, as is the case with most seaside resorts. This is perfectly acceptable in my opinion.

They are clearly marked so people who do not like dogs can avoid them.

But banning all dogs from all beaches for five months of the year is complete overkill and in the words of the Kennel Club in response to a similar proposal in Scarborough, "penalises responsible and irresponsible dog owners alike. Equally the beach is public land and should be open to all people who use it responsibly."

The consultation ends on March 28 and I urge all dog owners and dog lovers to write or email the environmental health and licensing department at Bartholomew House as soon as you can with your objections to these discriminatory proposals. You can also make your views known to the Kennel Club on this issue at kcdog@thekennelclub.org.uk.

  • Julie Cully, New Church Road, Hove

I've just stopped laughing at the pompous twaddle which Councillor Geoffrey Theobald got away with on television this week about dogs on beaches. It was negative, incorrect and lacked facts.

He is obviously not aware that many local people work hard to support the Kennel Club's good citizenship scheme, which trains owners to have good dogs.

May I suggest he logs on to www.the-kennel-club.org.uk to get some positive information about the responsible type of ownership most dog lovers support.

  • Matthew Wolfe, Ditchling Road, Brighton

The plan to ban dogs from all Brighton and Hove's beaches for five months of the year is absurd. We are fortunate in having miles of beach and there is plenty of room for everyone.

The present system is fine as it is.

Frequently, bearing in mind the English weather, even in the summer months, the only people on the beaches are those walking their dogs. What does the council hope to achieve by alienating all the dog owners who enjoy walking with their dogs on the beach?

In general, dogs are no more of a nuisance than people. Some dog owners do not clear up after their animals but then some picnickers do not clear up after themselves. Is the council going to ban them too?

  • Kate Armes, The Green Southwick

It might be better to enforce the existing laws before adding to them.

At present it's illegal to allow your dog to foul public spaces. Yet a minority of dog owners do not pick up after their animals. If they could be made to do so then people would object less to sharing beaches with dogs.

I recommend a hotline on which people could report dog fouling. If a pattern of behaviour emerged, for instance a dog appearing at a certain time in the evening, a warden could be sent to issue a fine.

There are plenty of ways we could improve the beaches, for instance enforcing litter, drinking and drugtaking laws, before we start picking on dogs. A gang of teenagers leaves far more mess in a public space than the average dog.

Dog walkers in cemeteries and other public spaces provide reassurance for anyone using these area late at night. They also act as a deterrent to vandals and other anti-social sorts because there is someone there who could report them.

If these proposals go through, I shall buy a tiger and exercise that on the beach.

  • Mark Barrowcliffe, Wykeham Terrace Brighton
  • It would be alright to have dogs on beaches if all their owners picked up their mess. As not all owners do this, think of where it all ends up - in the sea. When anyone swallows any water they could get a mouthful.

This would not be healthy.

  • Mary Frankel, Portland Road Hove