Dog walkers in River have been reminded that their pets are banned from both Dover Athletic Football Club and Dover Rugby Club.

A series of district council signs went up across both sites last week, with spray painted messages on the ground warning dog owners of a £75 fine should dogs be caught on site.

Dogs were banned in the past but under a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) approved last year, the council now has more powers to enforce the regulation.

Jim Parmenter, chairman of Dover Athletic Football Club said: “Dover Athletic has never allowed dogs other than guide dogs or assistance dogs on the grounds.”

He said the new rules would affect the rugby club where dog walkers have been known to take their pets.

As of July 27 last year, the PSPO in relation to dog control was put into effect across the district to replace a number of out of date by-laws.

This helped the council to deal with issues of dog fouling, keeping dogs on leads and excluding dogs from specified areas.

Dogs are excluded from enclosed children’s play areas, specific beaches at certain times of year, and certain sporting or recreational facilities.

Dogs are required to be kept on leads within certain churchyards and cemeteries, specific seafront promenades and seafront gardens and memorial sites and nature reserves.

The PSPO will be in force for three years and any person found guilty of breaching the order could pay up to £1,000 on conviction, or a fixed penalty notice of £75.

The orders can be enforced by police officers, PCSOs and any officers designated by Dover District Council.

A DDC spokesman said: “Dogs have been banned from Crabble Athletic Ground for some years. This was previously under a by-law made in 1986. The current ban falls under the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) which came in on July 27, 2015.

“We consulted widely on the PSPO before it was introduced.”