Police are holding a surgery for dog owners to find out if they have a banned breed of dog.
Lancashire Police are running the surgery in response to seizing 144 dogs across the county this year, with a number in Preston in recent months.
Inspector Mark Baines said: “We know there are dogs out there that pose a risk to the community and even to their owners. Any dog breed has the potential to be dangerous, especially around very small children. Sadly this is evident by the number of dog bite incidents that get reported both to us and other forces on a regular basis, some with tragic consequences.
“We understand that it may be a very difficult decision for pet owners to come forward but we would urge anybody that owns a dog and has any concerns about its breed to bring it along in order to comply with the legislation.
“Even if a dog is found to be a banned breed we can guide owners through the court process. It may still be possible for dog owners to keep their pet, subject to certain restrictions. Destruction of any animal will be an absolute last resort, there are ways we can help them keep their pet safety.”
The Preston dog surgery takes place between 12pm and 8pm on Friday 25 July at the Preston Operations Centre on Lancaster Road.
To attend you need to email in advance on lancashirepolice@lancashire.pnn.police.uk giving your name, address, telephone number, that you’ll be attending Preston and what time you want to attend. Or you can call 101.