A dog walker has been criticised after being photographed letting her pet off the lead while walking it near protected birds nesting on a beach.

Derek Bromage, a keen nature photographer, took pictures of her allowing the animal to run on the beach at Snettisham, parts of which are roped off with signs warning dog owners to keep out of areas where rare species like ringed plovers and oystercatchers breed.

Mr Bromage, from nearby Hunstanton, posted the images on social media, adding: “On Snettisham beach today, this woman and her dog completely ignored the ropes, literally a few meters from nesting birds.

The woman pictured with her dog off the lead on the beach at Snettisham (Image: Derek Bromage)

The dog on the loose inside a roped-off area where birds are nesting (Image: Derek Bromage)

“The RSPB warden did have a polite word but still, the arrogance and ignorance of this person is staggering.

“I only hope she didn’t tread on any eggs or worse, baby birds. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

One person responded: “She should be charged and fined , disturbing nesting birds is a crime.”

An RSPB warden speaks to the woman on the beach (Image: Derek Bromage)

Conservationists putting up a warning sign at Snettisham (Image: Kate Wolstenholme)

Another added: “There are always idiots who give responsible dog owners a bad name. Totally unacceptable.”

Mr Bromage said a warden from the RSPB, which manages the beach as a nature reserve intervened shortly after the woman’s Jack Russell strayed into an area where two birds could be seen sitting on their nests above the high tide mark and she left the area.

Both ringed plovers and oystercatchers nest on the beach, where a campaign was launched to protect them with rope cordons and warning signs in 2022.

A ringed plover with its chick (Image: Derek Moore)

A ringed plover’s egg on the beach at Snettisham (Image: Kate Wolstenholme)

In its first year, the number of plover chicks successfully fledged at Snettisham almost doubled from 19 to 36.

The tiny birds’ plumage matches the shingle, while their eggs resemble pebbles, meaning both can be hard to spot and easy to step on.

A UK‑wide survey estimated around 8,400 breeding pairs of ringed plovers in 1984, falling to about 4,070 pairs by 2007.

An oystercatcher sitting on its eggs (Image: Mike Powles)

There are believed to be around 95,000 nesting pairs of oystercatchers around our shores, with numbers declining by a fifth since 1990.

WHAT DOES THE RSPB SAY..?

Hayley Roan, RSPB nature reserve manager said: “Earlier this week a member of staff spoke with a dog owner when we noticed their dog was off the lead and entering a fenced off area where ringed plovers and oystercatchers are nesting.

“We know people want to enjoy visiting the coast with their dog, especially when we have brilliant sunny weather, but when we explained there were nesting birds nearby the dog owner completely understood the situation, apologised and put their dog on a lead.

Hayley Roan from the RSPB (Image: Chris Bishop)

“We always advise keeping dogs on a short lead and under control near nesting birds.

“Everyone can play a role in protecting Norfolk’s amazing wildlife, and even simple steps like walking your dog on a lead and being aware of roped off areas can make a huge difference when visiting the beach where there might be nesting birds this time of year.”