DOG owners could to be allowed to walk their pets off the lead during winter in a popular public garden.

The Weymouth and Portland Borough Council management committee voted in favour of sending the decision of whether to relax the ban in Nothe Gardens to a full council meeting.

The move follows a campaign by animal lovers for the Dogs on Lead Order, introduced in 2010, to become seasonal, enforced only between May 1 and September 30.

In November, the borough council launched a public consultation to discuss the proposed modification.

But the issue has divided the public, with the committee hearing from several concerned residents during the meeting. Anne Tait, of Nothe Dog Walkers, told councillors: “The people who do not approve of modifying it are few.

“Something went wrong when the dog controls were implemented, and we would ask you to put it right.”

One of the arguments put forward by those in favour of relaxing the ban is that the gardens are used less in winter and dog walkers should be allowed to make more of the space.

But Roger Genge, chairman of the Friends of Nothe Gardens, said: “Although I speak for myself, and am not representing the Friends, it is simply not true that the gardens are hardly used in the winter.

“There are plenty of other places to walk dogs off the lead, and it does not make common sense to take away a sensible management of the gardens.”

The proposal attracted 624 signatures from residents in a petition submitted in November.

The council received 414 responses to the public consultation, with 250 in favour of the relaxation and 163 against. One respondent did not indicate an opinion.

Councillor Ian Roebuck said: “There has been overwhelming support in favour of relaxation. We need to work with the dog owners, and if it does not work, then the control orders can be put back in place.”

But Councillor Geoff Petherick, brief holder for community safety, said he would not want to see a precedent set for other areas of Weymouth subject to dog orders.

And Councillor Kate Wheller said: “The amount of time we have spent discussing this already is out of all proportion.” The report seen by councillors also noted that Environmental Health has said that dog fouling and attacks have reduced across the borough since the dog orders were introduced.

Michele Soden, who launched the petition, said she was ‘quietly pleased’ at the committee’s decision. She added: “It’s a step in the right direction.

“But I feel as though we have had to take a sledgehammer to crack a walnut.”