Animals on the beach

Dogs

Weston-super-Mare

All dogs are required to be kept on a lead:

• Weston promenade

Allowed at any time:

• between the Grand Pier and Knightstone Island
• between Royal Sands and Uphill 

Not allowed from 1 May to 30 September between 9am and 7pm:

• between the Grand Pier and Royal Sands

No dogs allowed except guide dogs:

• Weston Marine Lake

Sand Bay

Allowed at any time.

Clevedon

All dogs are required to be kept on a lead:

• Clevedon promenade

Not allowed at any time, except guide dogs:

• Clevedon Marine Lake
• on Clevedon beach

Portishead

All dogs are required to be kept on a lead:

• Portishead promenade

Horses

Horse riders should be mindful of other people using the beach. Where horse riding is permitted, we recommend that you ride horses along the tide line and hold third-party public liability insurance to the value of £5m.

Weston-super-Mare

Allowed except from 1 July to 31 August from 10am to 6pm.

Sand Bay

Allowed on the beach at any time. Not allowed on the sand dunes at any time.

Clevedon

Not allowed at any time.

The donkey operators on the beach at Weston-super-Mare are fully licensed under the Animal Welfare (Licencing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations 2018 (hire of horses) made under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. 

In order to remain licensed, operators must meet the high welfare standards required by this Act. A formal, yearly inspection is carried out by an animal welfare officer accompanied by an appointed vet. In addition to this formal inspection, unannounced inspections are also carried out. Any substantiated welfare concerns will be investigated by an animal welfare officer. 

The DEFRA guidance, which explains the welfare and inspection regime, can be viewed on the GOV.UK website.

Our seafront team carry out regular checks on the operators, ensuring that the animals have food, water, shade and that there are no welfare issues.

In addition to our own inspections, the Donkey Sanctuary (a UK-registered donkey welfare charity) has completed independent, unannounced visits to the licensed operators on our beach. No issues have been reported to us as a result of these checks.