A YOUNG dog had to be put down on Saturday after it ran into fencing ropes put up by Beccles Golf Club.The tragedy, where the dog got its collar caught on roping and severed its tongue as a result, has sparked anger amongst Common users who believe the rope is dangerous and should be taken down.

A YOUNG dog had to be put down on Saturday after it ran into fencing ropes put up by Beccles Golf Club.

The tragedy, where the dog got its collar caught on roping and severed its tongue as a result, has sparked anger amongst Common users who believe the rope is dangerous and should be taken down.

But the pleas have so far fallen on deaf ears, as Beccles Golf Club have refused to take the ropes down, and Beccles Town Council, who lease the land to the club, have asserted their right to keep them there.

The rope is generally used to prevent cattle walking on the golf course, but is usually taken down at the beginning of November when the animals are taken off the common.

However the fencing has been left in place this winter in an effort to stem a spate of vandalism which has seen people driving their cars over the golf course greens.

The incident happened at around 7am on Saturday morning, when Colin Trentham, who works as a security guard at Tesco in Beccles, was walking his two dogs.

His English springer spaniel Meggan was running after a ball when she ran into the bottom of two ropes strung around the golf course, and got her collar tangled up in it.

She bit down on her tongue in shock, severely severing her tongue, and had to be put down that morning at Bungay Veterinary as a result.

Mr Trentham, 54, who lives in Ingate, believes that the bottom length should be taken down as it is “dog height.”

“Leave the top one, but why on earth leave the bottom one in?” He said. “I said 'either you take it down or I will.' I've had a lot of dog owners say they'll come and help me.

“In the half-light of the morning it's hard to see anything, and it's really dangerous. I'd hate to see someone lose another dog. I rescued Megan from a bad home and that's what really hurts.”

He added that he was “livid” that the golf club had refused to take the rope down: “I don't want to start a war between golfers and dog walkers. All I want is something done and they're being pig ignorant.”

Another regular Common user, Richard Curtis of Mill Lane in Barnby, was there when the tragic incident happened. He said that he was worried children could also be injured by the roping.

“Should they run into the rope, it could catch them in the throat,” he said. “It's unnecessary- if someone wants to vandalise the green by driving a car on it, putting rope round it won't do a lot.”

Beccles Town Council clerk Bernie Broom said that the issue would go to council at the next meeting on Tuesday, and they would consider moving the bottom rope.

“It's a dreadful accident and I'm sure the entire council will be very sorry,” she said. “But the club is entitled to have ropes and posts with council permission. This is a relatively small golf club and we have a duty of care to protect our tenants. The council are trying to find a way forward for this.”