I was appalled by the photograph of Rowan Diedrick, the 29-year-old builder who watched his dog maul a seven-year-old boy on Southend seafront, and then legged it.

Is it just me who resisted the urge to punch the newspaper stand upon seeing his smug grin and thumbs-up after his court case?

It was reported the attack left the boy with horrific wounds, which required 60 stitches and several operations.

Words fail me. I hope he gets a decent custodial sentence to wipe the grin off his face, and moreover, Southend Council clearly needs to step up its “no dogs on the beach” policy with some actual enforcement.

Sticking a sign up saying no dogs are allowed on the beach between May 1 and September 30 appears to be ineffective against people like Rowan Diedrick, who clearly thinks rules are for other people.

Oh sorry, I forgot. The council has no spare money for rule enforcement.

It’s all going on painting the Civic.

How about losing a traffic warden or two, and sending the navy uniforms and peaked caps down to the beaches instead?

Jack Monroe
Plaza
Royal Mews
Southend

...While I have every sympathy with the grandmother whose grandson was mauled by a rottweiler on Southend seafront last August, I feel the solution does not lie in micro-chipping dogs.

It might enable dogs to be traced, but this seems like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Muzzling dogs in public places is surely a better solution. We can all see if a dog is muzzled or not and children and smaller dogs, who also come under attack, can feel safer.

Susan Lucas
Woodgrange Drive
Southend