A READER has called for pet owners to keep their pooches on leads in Sankey Valley Park after claiming to have seen three incidents involving the park’s swans and dogs in the space of an hour.

Two swans currently have a nest of six cygnets (pictured) leading to calls for them to be protected.

But the request to keep pets on leads near the swans split opinion on the Warrington Guardian Facebook page with some readers arguing dogs should be ‘free to roam’ while others agreed dogs should be ‘under control’ and owners should think about other people, children and wildlife.

A council spokesman said there had been no incidents reported to them but park rangers would advise for dogs to be kept on leads.