Pooch power has won the battle of Sandbanks beach with residents overwhelmingly opposing a year-round dog ban.

Borough of Poole consulted during the summer about a possible dog-free zone on a 321m stretch of the Blue Flag beach in front of the pavilion.

The figures have now been released and Cllr Don Collier, cabinet portfolio holder for environment, has stated: “We are not going ahead with it.”

The council received 140 emails, 24 letters and three petitions totalling 1,048 signatures against a ban being imposed. In favour were 26 emails, nine letters and a petition of 474 signatures.

“There was public consultation, the public have spoken and we have listened. It was a mature decision,” said Cllr Collier.

He will be recommending to a future meeting of the environmental overview and scrutiny committee that they bin the proposal.

It had been mooted after the council said it received, “an increasing number of complaints regarding dogs causing a nuisance to beach visitors and fouling beaches during the winter period”.

Scrutiny committee chairman Cllr John Rampton had said there was a demand from families, individuals and those with young children for a small area of beach dog free all year round.

However dog walkers mobilised to keep the beach available for walkies outside the seasonal summer ban on the golden sands.

The decision has been welcomed by dog walkers. “It’s fantastic,” said Colin Lambert, who regularly walks his dog at Sandbanks.

The seasonal dog free ban will remain and although there are no winter restrictions a bylaw requires owners to remove their dogs faeces deposited on the sand.