Port Erin Commissioners have rejected claims in a petition that dogs are to be banned from the town’s beach.

At a meeting on Wednesday, the board discussed a Facebook post which alleged that one of the newly elected commissioners intended to propose such a change.

Both Jimmy Cubbon and Karl Drinkwater, who joined the board in July, denied they were planning to put forward any motion on the matter.

Mr Cubbon said the post had ‘questioned’ his ‘integrity’ as a commissioner and made members look ‘foolish’.

Clerk Jason Roberts told the meeting he was ‘not aware’ of any proposals from either returning or new members to amend the byelaws.

The current rules, approved in March 2024 and due to remain in place for 10 years, prohibit dogs from Port Erin beach between 10am and 7pm from May 1 to September 30.

Chair of the commissioners, Hannah Mackenzie, described the petition as ‘nonsense’. She said consultation on the existing byelaws was ‘well received’, with between 300 and 500 responses.

Mrs Mackenzie said the restrictions were partly aimed at protecting staff from dog fouling while carrying out gardening work.

During public questions, a resident asked how many health and safety incidents linked to dog fouling had been recorded.

Mr Cubbon responded that the authority should not wait for a staff member to ‘lose an eye’ before taking preventative action.

Another member of the public asked how many fines had been issued since the byelaws came into force. Mr Roberts confirmed none had been issued, adding that enforcement relies on someone being in the right place at the right time. Offenders are either fined or asked to clear up the waste.

The board agreed no changes would be made to the dog byelaws at present.