DOGS seemed to dominate the agenda at Monday's West Somerset District Council cabinet meeting.

A year-round dog ban on Minehead beach, the introduction of fixed penalty dog fouling fines and the problems facing the council's own dog warden service were all up for discussion.

The first topic on the agenda was the issue of banning dogs from Minehead's new sandy beach while allowing pets to be exercised beyond Warren Point and the other side of the harbour.

Deputy council leader Cllr Colin Hill said he believed there was considerable support among councillors for a bylaw to be introduced banning dogs from the beach all year round.

The area was already subject to a five-month dog ban between May and September but the council would have to give the public a chance to comment on the proposals before a 12-month ban could be considered.

The meeting was told that a bylaw was needed as the physical changes to the beach meant the tide no longer cleaned the sand adequately.

This meant the council had to pay even more for the beach to be cleaned, unless costs could be cut by banning dogs.

In a report to the meeting, section leader of the council's environmental protection unit Adrian Gardner said the council should seek support from the public in order to ensure the bylaw was a success.

He suggested putting posters and notices around Minehead, in vets' surgeries and at dog clubs to highlight the council's proposal and to invite comments.

Those comments would then have to show strong public support for the bylaw before the Government would consider implementing it.

He believed it was unlikely the new bylaw would come into force before the New Year, even if members of the public and the Government gave it their support.

Cabinet members agreed to the idea in principle and gave the go-ahead for the consultation to begin.

l Fixed penalty fines will be introduced throughout the region for people who break the law by allowing their dog to foul a public place.

Cabinet members gave the scheme their support after being told the £25 fines had proved successful in other district council areas and would cut down on the need to take court action against dog owners.

However, the option to prosecute would remain open, especially in the case of repeat offenders.

Councillors were told that public places were defined as areas of land open to the air to which the public were entitled or permitted to have access.

They did not include roads with a speed limit of more than 40mph and the land alongside, woodlands, agricultural land, marshland, moor or heath or rural common land.

Cllr Hill said: "In light of our success with dog prosecutions I think it is time to try something else."

The council's new policy will be to issue a fixed penalty to first time offenders, then take court action if they break the law again.

l The council's dog warden service could be tendered out early next year.

Cabinet members were told the service was still short staffed as one member continued to be off work on long-term sick leave and the other, Angela Simpson, was only meant to work part time.

However, she had now given up her second part-time job and was working five days a week as a dog warden for the council and providing emergency cover at weekends.

Even so, councillors were told the service was operating at around five hours per week below its ideal manpower level, although officers were hoping to resolve the situation in the near future.

In the meantime, council officer Mr Gardner said he was working towards getting details together to put the entire service out to tender.

He said he was still at the initial stage of finding out exactly what was wanted from the service and hoped to invite bids for it early next year.