Blackpool residents fear their secure dog field at Revoe Park will revert to a hotbed of drug use, broken glass and antisocial behaviour

A group of volunteers started locking the dog park at night in 2020, after a pet was poisoned by a bag of drug paraphenelia that had been discarded on the ground.

But now the council have decided to turn the former bowling green back into a general public space – which the members of the dog walking community say is already leading to the space being misused.

Dog was poisoned by discarded drugs

Rachel Tax was the co-chairperson and one of ten keyholders for the Revoe Dog Park. She told the Gazette: "One of our members came down [on Sunday] morning and had to clear out some people that were [doing drugs]. That hasn’t happened in all the time we’ve been keyholders. We’d totally got rid of that, and now its starting again already.”

The council had first turned the disused bowling green into a designated dog exercise area in 2017, and entrusted the volunteers to look after the space in 2020, after residents approached the council to do something about the persistent nuisance behaviour.

Darren Mason, who was also a keyholder and chairman, said: “We were coming down every day and finding needles, drugs bags, cans of beer and broken glass. A golden retriever got his nose stuck in a [bag of drugs] and as a result he got poisoned, and had a £1,000 vet bill. That’s what tipped us over the edge.”

‘We’ve done everything to make this a safe community space’

The volunteers started locking the park at night and open it in the morning, which stopped the problem. They also worked to educate the public on dog safety – handing out leaflets about responsible ownership and encouraging people to report incidents to the dog warden.

Rachel Tax said: “We’ve been really proactive and done everything to make this a safe community space. We’ve attended meetings with the council, we’ve arranged litter picks and also worked really hard to educate people about dog safety and build a nice culture.”

Selfish individuals have spoiled it for the majority

The council made the decision to take the space away from the Revoe Dog Park committee after receiving ‘a number of comments about behaviour’. But the volunteers feel that they have been treated unfairly, and not been given enough support from the dog wardens to enforce the rules.

Rachel added: “We’ve been very successful on the whole, but as with anything you always get a few selfish people who spoil it for the majority. It’s mostly one small group that are responsible for these incidents. We have no power ourselves to ban these individuals from the park. We also make a point of encouraging people to report incidents to the dog warden, so really we’ve built a rod for our own back.”

Blackpool Council’s response

John Blackledge, Blackpool Council’s Director of Community and Environmental Services said: “The park has always been under the control of the Parks Department.

“The reason for the temporary closure of the area was not due to the actions of one dog and its owner. It was down to a number of incidents and comments received about behaviour. However, following an internal meeting it was agreed that it would be reopened with a revised Code of Conduct for the dog area, which will be displayed on a new sign at the entrance.

“Our Environmental Protection team work very hard on matters of animal welfare, safety and education. All information provided on any dog attack or incidents is followed through but if the owners of dogs do not wish to pursue the matter, the local authority cannot take any further action so no Community Protection Order (CPO) has been applied for.

“We work successfully and closely with other Park Groups in Blackpool, so that our parks can be enjoyed safely and responsibly.”