The council has been recognised with a new award from the RSPCA for its stray dog service.

Cheshire West and Chester Council received the Platinum Award in the 2024 RSPCA PawPrint Awards for 13 years of effort in collecting and re-homing stray dogs.

The national animal charity acknowledged the council's surpassing of legal requirements in managing stray dogs.

The awards celebrate local authorities that go above and beyond to ensure high animal welfare standards in their communities.

The new platinum award, introduced last year, is for organisations with more than five years of gold standard success.

Councillor Christine Warner, cabinet member for homes, planning, and safer communities at the council, said: "Many thanks to everyone involved in our stray dog service.

"Thirteen years of achieving the RSPCA’s top standard for our work with stray dogs is a wonderful achievement."

The council also enforces the Public Spaces Protection Order concerning dogs.

This includes issuing fixed penalty notices for dog fouling and related breaches.

Ms Warner added: “Dog owners can really help our Public Protection team by ensuring that their pets are kept safe, are tagged and micro-chipped and by picking up after them.

"It is a legal requirement for a dog to be both microchipped and to have a tag with their owner’s name and address; a telephone number on the tag is helpful too.

"As well as being legal requirements, getting your dog tagged and micro-chipped means you can be reunited with them as quickly as possible if they go astray.”

Lee Gingell, public affairs manager at the RSPCA, said: "We are thrilled to recognise Cheshire West and Chester Council with a Platinum Award in this year's RSPCA PawPrints Awards.

"Their commitment to animal welfare is truly commendable and reflects the high standards that the PawPrints awards aim to celebrate."