Dog control orders introduced in Queen's Park

The main effect of the new orders is that owners will be required to keep their dogs on leads in these, although some small designated areas will carry an outright ban on dogs to protect children and prevent disorder problems.

Most of the designated areas are children's play areas.

In addition, a borough-wide dog fouling order has been introduced, making it an offence for owners to fail to clear up after their dogs.

This is because dog muck can carry a number of diseases, including toxocara canis, a parasite which causes asthma, epilepsy and even blindness.

Anyone found committing an offence will be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £80 by police community support officers or animal wardens.

Appropriate signage has been put up informing people of the new rules.

Westminster Council introduced the orders in response to calls from residents to make the borough cleaner and safer.

The council's cabinet member for community protection Cllr Daniel Astaire said: "Open spaces are at an absolute premium in Westminster, and when more than 95 per cent of our residents live in flats, our streets and open spaces should be readily available, especially for families and children to use.

"However, many areas are plagued by problems with dog muck and aggressive dogs running around without leads on, which can be extremely intimidating, especially for children.

"These controls are in direct response to a barrage of requests from residents who want to be able to enjoy their open spaces.

"We are not trying to stop people having dogs but we want to make all our streets and public places safe and clean for everybody - including dog owners.

"This is simply about promoting responsible dog ownership."