Little tern numbers at one of the UK’s most important seabird colonies are down 50% as the number of people allowing their dogs to get too close to them has increased, a wildlife trust as warned.
The small seabirds have nested on the beach at Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, every year since 2019.
In May, volunteer wardens recorded 427 cases where dogs were inside the exclusion zone and, on just one day in June, 93 breaches were noted.
The Tees Valley Wildlife Trust’s little tern warden, Derek Wood, said he worried any additional stress at the site would lead to the birds abandoning their nests and not returning to the area.
There are currently 55 nesting pairs on the beach at Seaton Carew; volunteers expected there to be up to 110 pairs.
Wood said: “Total dog count in the exclusion zone for May was 427 and that is only from monitoring between 14:00 to 20:00 Monday to Friday.
“The exclusion zone is clearly not working, especially if you consider the 93 violations in one day in June.”