The order will apply for the next three years (2018 to 2021) and will include three types of restrictions for which people can issued with on the spot £100 fixed penalty notices.

Dog fouling: if a dog defecates at any time on land to which the public have access, and the person who is in charge of the dog at that time fails to remove the faeces from the land forthwith, that person shall be guilty of an offence. This offence will apply across the County Borough.
Dog exclusion areas: compared to the previous order, we have reduced the number of dog exclusion areas from approximately 250 to 140.
Dogs will continue to be excluded from school grounds, children’s play areas and marked sports pitches (dogs are free to walk around the edges of pitches and in-between marked pitches).

The restrictions only apply to the marked out area i.e. white lines, brown scorched lines or fences or spectator barriers etc. For the first time, dogs will also be excluded from the grounds of Pontypool College.

There is also a lapwing breeding area at Garn Lakes that is a dog exclusion area but this is a fenced off area and has been in place for a few years.

New signage is being installed and maps showing the restricted areas covered by the new order can be accessed using the link below (just click on the layer called ‘New PSPO Dog Controls’ from the drop down menu on the right of the screen).
Link toTCBC Website: http://gis.torfaen.gov.uk:8010/connect/analyst/mobile/#/main?mapcfg=Public%20View&lang=en_GB

Dog Exclusion areas are highlighted in RED and Dogs on Leads areas in GREEN. Using the mapping system anyone with an enquiry can search for the area they are interested in by street, village, town, ward etc.

Councillor Fiona Cross, executive member for Neighbourhood Services, said: “After a detailed consultation where everyone has had the chance to have their say on this issue we believe these measures strike the right balance between protecting the interests of dog walkers and other users of our parks and open spaces. I would urge dog walkers in particular to be aware of the areas where they walk their dogs, look out for the signs and if they’re unsure to use our website to check the exact details.”