Croydon Council crackdown on dangerous dogs

Laws giving extra powers to councils to control dogs could be used in Croydon to nip aggressive behaviour encouraged by their owners in the bud.

Cllr Steve O'Connell, the council's cabinet member for safety and cohesion, is concerned about "an emerging problem" across London in which mainly youngsters are using dogs to intimidate people.

And while Cllr O'Connell says he is not aware of a particular problem in Croydon he wants to look at ways of taking preemptive action to stop it occurring here.

The council is likely to examine powers it has to issue dog control orders and it is expected a report on policy options will be issued in the autumn.

The orders can be used to take action on a range of issues ranging from dog fouling to keeping dogs under control.

Under the orders councils can ban dogs from specific areas like parks and limit the number of dogs allowed onto a piece of land at any one time.

Cllr O'Connell said he needed to study the powers available and take advice before coming to any conclusion about how to use them.

But he doesn't want to see 'dog no go' areas created in Croydon.

He said: "I am concerned about looking after the interests of responsible dog owners and the welfare of their animals.

"I am not comfortable with the idea of a blanket ban on dogs from certain pieces of land.

"I would, however, like to be able to take action against people who it has been proven have used their dogs in an aggressive way against other people."