Safety measures call after dog goes over cliff at Barton

A DOG walker has called for better safety measures on a “dangerous” stretch of Barton clifftop after his cocker spaniel plunged over the edge.

Five-month-old Max escaped serious injury having fallen about 30ft while chasing a bird as owner Martin David walked him near Hoburne Naish holiday park last Thursday.

Martin (56), from New Milton, wants New Forest District Council to erect fencing along the cliff edge or install more prominent warning signs.

“One day it may be a kid out there, and who knows what might happen,” he told the A&T.

Although the landscape gardener admitted he was at fault for having Max off lead when he knew the dangers, he stressed many visitors to the area would be unaware.

Recalling how the drama unfolded, he said: “Max is quite a clever lad and normally would come back to my calls, but he got fixated by this bird and he went right to the edge and then he was gone.

“My worry was that I would look over the side of the cliff and he’d be dead.”

Having seen Max landed on a ledge partway down, Martin was prevented from reaching him by a patch of high brambles.

He climbed over fencing by the nearby Cliff House hotel to get down.

Highlighting areas of clay and “ravines” close to where Max landed, he said: “My worry was that he’d try to get down to the beach from there and might drown or get stuck.”

By the time Martin reached Max, some passers-by had gathered above and were talking to him and throwing down treats.

He said one woman told him several other dogs had gone over the cliff over the years.

Having safely retrieved Max, he had to carry him some distance along the beach to the sloped pathway up the cliff near the café.

A check-up at the vets’ confirmed he was fine, apart from a grazed chin.

Martin continued: “I spent a couple of days feeling sorry for myself and thinking what could have been, but at the end of the day, I thought, this shouldn’t have been allowed to happen.

“But it’s difficult to even get a pothole filled, let alone put a fence up along a cliff edge.”

If not fencing, Martin wants more prominent warning signs near the roadside.

“It seems to be a long way to the cliff front from where the road is, but when your dog’s running after a bird, suddenly it’s no distance at all,” he said.

“All I want is for people who are not aware to be made aware. All that part, from the toilets up to Naish, is just dangerous.

“You get people up for the holidays or the weekend, and they don’t know the dangers.”

He added: “If Max had gone about 40ft to the right, it would have been a much different story – the drop would have been a lot more.”

Responding to his concerns, an NFDC spokesperson highlighted the existing warning signs and advised dog walkers to keep their pets on leads.

They added: “Our regular coastal inspections consider sites that are assessed as dangerous enough to warrant closure.

“All cliffs areas have the potential to be dangerous and we advise that individuals exercise caution and assess likely risk before using the coast.”

---

---