The time that many dog lovers in Cornwall have been waiting for has come - when they can take their beloved pets back onto SOME previously restricted beaches all day.

Many dogs love nothing more than running along a sandy beach, chasing a ball or having a quick, refreshing dip in the sea but over the summer they have been restricted to the early hours of the day and early evening on the majority of beaches.

Cornwall Council has a number of Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) in place around the coast which set limits on when dogs can go onto beaches. The vast majority of these operate from the beginning of July to the end of August.

Blue Flag and Seaside Award beaches have longer restrictions due to the requirements of the Award status. In addition there are three protected wildlife areas that are subject to individual restrictions. 

But from Friday (September 1) the restrictions ended on beaches that don't have blue flag status. However on beaches in Cornwall which have Blue Flag status those restrictions have to operate from May 15 to September 30 in order to retain that accolade.

Most other beaches covered by the PSPOs operate their restrictions from July 1 to August 31, from 10am to 6pm.

Those beaches are:

Cadgwith Cove

Castle Beach, Falmouth

Cawsand Beach

Chapel Porth Beach, St Agnes

Church Cove, Gunwalloe

Harveys Towans to Godrevy Point, Hayle

Housel Bay

Kennack Sands Beach

Kynance Cove

Maenporth Beach, Falmouth

Mousehole Beach to Skilly Beach

Wherry Town to Battery Rocks

Long Rock level crossing to Marazion

Perranuthnoe

Poldhu Beach, Mullion

Polurrian Cove Beach, Mullion

Porthcurno Beach

Porthgwarra Beach, St Levan

Porthgwidden Beach, St Ives

Porthleven West

Porthpean Beach, St Austell

Portmellon Cove, Mevagissey

Portreath Beach, including the harbour

Praa Sands

Readmoney Cove, Fowey

St George’s Well, Padstow

St Ives Harbour Beach

Summer’s Beach, St Mawes

Swanpool Beach, Falmouth

Tattam’s Beach, Portscatho

Tunnel Beach, Falmouth

For beaches which have Blue Flag status the restrictions come into force in May and run until the end of September. These restrictions again operate from 10am to 6pm each day.

The following beaches all have the longer period of restrictions for dogs:

Carbis Bay Beach, Carbis Bay

Crackington Haven

Crooklets Beach, Bude

Gyllyngvase Beach, Falmouth

Polzeath Beach

Porth Beach

Porthmeor Beach, St Ives

Porthminster Beach, St Ives

Porthtowan Beach

Sennen Beach

Trevone Beach, Padstow

Widemouth Beach, Bude

And, lastly, there are some beaches which have all year round bans for dogs which are also 24 hours. Those are:

Carnsew Pool

Copperhouse Pool

Hayle Estuary

Please note that these restrictions only apply to those beaches which are covered by Cornwall Council’s PSPOs. Private beaches may also have their own restrictions in place which are not covered by these orders.