As they continue to ask other members of the public not leave their houses in order to stop the spread of COVID 19, the Local Police in Alicante has begun to time the duration of the dog walks in the parks and main avenues of the city.

Following a multitude of complaints from people reporting pet owners who go out to walk their dog and are there all morning, the police says that they will now establish surveillance so that walking the dog is not used as an excuse for avoiding confinement.

The police say that they will be checking that walkers remain in the vicinity of their homes, they are walking their animals individually and they do not abuse the length of time that they are out on the street with their pets.

Meanwhile a man has been fined a thousand euros in Elche after he was stopped while walking down the street, telling the police that was going to a supermarket “to buy Nocilla,” a form of chocolate spread.

However he had been warned previously without providing any justification. On the most recent occasion he was some distance from his home having already passed a number of supermarkets that stocked he product.

A police spokesman said that a reasonable amount of time to be out walking the dog is 10 minutes.