LOOE mayor Wally Scarah has described 'mum power' as being the driving force behind the decision to ban dogs permanently from the use of the town's main beach.
Mr Scarah, who is also vice chairman of East Looe Town Trust, which owns the beach, and is the resort's main attraction for families, says local mothers have been complaining very loudly about the amounts of dog faeces left lying on the beach. 'Their children have been arriving home covered in the stuff' he said, 'it's dangerous and it's not on'.
At a meeting of the Trust on Tuesday night the final straw came when a Looe mother sent a very strong letter of complaint. She said she had felt unable to let her children play on the beach since October because of the mess.
'It's very sad that the children of Looe have to share their environment with dogs' mess' she wrote. 'You can't move for it, it's everywhere you go. On the beach, in the streets, in the woods, in fact it's everywhere the children try to play'.
Trustees voted unanimously to vote dogs off the beach for good and new signs are being made to be erected as soon as possible. In the past dog owners had been allowed the use of the beach to exercise their animals during the winter months, but were banned traditionally between Maundy Thursday and the end of September.
'Unless the dogs are removed from the beach, Looe will never get the blue flag it is striving for', said mayor Scarah. 'This is a good move for the locals and visitors alike. Their complaints have been fully justified. It is a pity that some dog owners have let down the responsible people who clean up after their pets.
'Unfortunately dog mess can take a long time to be washed out by the tide and it just builds up'.