Call for trial to allow dogs on a beach in summer

A trial to allow dogs and horses onto a beach in Alderney during the summer months is to be considered by the States.

Currently the animals are barred from Longis Beach between 1 June and 15 September.

Under the proposed trial, dogs and horses will be allowed on the beach during the summer of 2026 and 2027, between 17:00 and 08:00 BST.

The States of Alderney said the trial would allow it to "assess how a managed change could operate in practice, while balancing the needs of different beach users and protecting the island's environment".

Dogs are currently welcome on all paths of the island, on all commons and on some bays all year round.

But there are restrictions in the summer for Braye, Saye, Arch, Corblets and Longis Beach.

The trial was proposed after a States' survey found more than half of the 640 responses supported a change to the current legislation, the States said.

"When asked about potential alternatives, 57.9% of respondents supported allowing access during restricted hours, specifically between 5pm and 8am," it said.

"Longis Beach was identified as the preferred location for such a trial, followed by the eastern end of Braye."

Results from the survey also revealed 70.4% of respondents were concerned about dog and horse poo not being picked up.

More than half were also worried about uncontrolled dogs or lack of leash use.

Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.