General Info
Controlling Your Dog in Public
Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996
Drones: How to Fly them Safely and Legally
Farming and the Highway - A Code of Practice
Owning a Boat / Safety on inland Waterways
Powered Transporters - Guidance
Riparian Landowner's Responsibilities
Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981
🚨 Emergency and Public Services
Emergency Services (Police, Fire, Ambulance) – 📞 999
Non-Emergency Police (West Mercia Police) – 📞 101
NHS Non-Emergency (Medical Advice) – 📞 111
🏛️ Local Authority (Shropshire Council)
Shropshire Council Main Line – 📞 0345 678 9000
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Out of Hours Emergencies – 📞 0345 678 9040
🏥 Healthcare
NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB – https://www.shropshiretelfordandwrekin.nhs.uk
Princess Royal Hospital (Telford) – 📞 01952 641222
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital – 📞 01743 261000
🚌 Transport
Arriva Bus (Shropshire) – 📞 0344 800 44 11
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North Salop Wheelers – 📞 07595 273959
🧰 Utilities and Local Infrastructure
Western Power (Power Cuts) – 📞 105
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BT/Openreach Faults – 📞 0800 800 150
Environment Agency (Flooding, Pollution) – 📞 0800 80 70 60
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency
🐾 Animal Welfare
RSPCA Cruelty Line – 📞 0300 1234 999
Shropshire Dog Warden Service – 📞 0345 678 9006
Advice for Dog Walkers
This note contains some general recommendations for dog owners using public rights of way, public access land and the community link footpath. Walking keeps you and your dog happy and healthy. Walking only 30 minutes every day makes you feel good, gives you more energy, helps to reduce stress, can lower blood pressure and helps keep your heart in good working order.
When you are out with your dog please be aware of the following potential problem situations which you may encounter and some suggestions of how to best deal with them:
Walkers and dogs in the same field as livestock
If you meet farm animals while out walking keep your dog on its lead and under close control and leave as much space between your dog and the animals as possible.
If you’re crossing a field containing cattle which start acting aggressively (most common when calves are with them) it's best to let go of your dog and let it run away but, most importantly, you should leave the field as quickly as you can. You may find carrying a stick with you to be useful.
Dog fouling
Please be responsible and don't let your dog foul the link path or public rights of way routes. Dog mess can spread of some very nasty infections and diseases and a pile of dog poo can contain one million microscopic Toxocara Eggs. Toxocaris is highly infectious, especially to children. Typical Toxocaris symptoms include dizziness and nausea, asthma and epileptic seizures. More seriously, it can lead to serious eye damage, even permanent blindness. Dog mess, especially from unwormed dogs, also harbours parasites that can harm farm animals especially cows and sheep. Please clear up any dog waste. Please do not leave it behind or hang it on a tree in a bag. Instead, dispose of it safely at home by double wrapping it and putting it in your standard household refuse or, if you’re using the link footpath use the bins at either end. The countryside is used by children, cyclists, wheelchair and pushchair users throughout the year. Please help the Parish Council to keep the link footpath clean and safe for everyone to enjoy.
Dogs and farmland
Dogs accompanying walkers on the link path should be kept on their leads at all times, and those using the public rights of way must be kept in sight and under close control and should not be allowed to stray off the path. Straying, or worrying of livestock is a serious offence and landowners can take direct action.
Some unsupervised dogs may worry or even attack farm stock. For example, sheep moving away to avoid dogs may encourage the dogs to chase them. A loose or out of control dog could cause a pregnant ewe to miscarry or cause a newborn lamb to be separated from and rejected by its mother.
There are special rules on land designated as 'access land'. Here, whenever livestock is present, dogs should be kept on a fixed lead of less than two metres. Between 1 March and 31 July dogs must be kept on a two metre lead in order to protect ground nesting birds, such as skylark and lapwing. These will be disturbed from their nests by free running dogs. Their eggs may then be taken by predators or fail to hatch as a result (this rule does not apply to public rights of way across access land - but it's good to follow it as it is common sense).
Dogs and other people (especially small children)
It can be frightening, especially for small children, if dogs, apparently out of control, come bounding towards them - and even for adults who may not appreciate muddy paws and inquisitive noses as much as dog owners might. You may think your dog is just being friendly, but please consider other people and show mutual respect for each other by putting your dog on its lead as soon as you see people approaching.
Dogs and horses
If you are out walking, or riding, with your dog on bridleways, restricted byways and byways, please keep a lookout for (other) horse riders, especially on narrow sections of paths. Most people are unaware that many horses can be frightened by dogs on the loose or barking and this can have major impacts for horse, rider and other people if they rear up or take flight. The best way to avoid this is to make sure you can recall your dog at all times by keeping them on a fixed or retractable lead or by keeping them in sight if you are confident that the dog always responds to your control command or signal and using a lead when passing the horse.