DOGS in Barrow are among the ‘dangerous’ pets that police in Cumbria have spent almost £100,000 keeping in kennels.

According to data obtained by The Mail, Cumbria Police spent £81,000 last year to keep seized dogs in kennels.

In the two years before that, police spent £94,000 and £91,000 respectively.

A number of people have seen their dogs taken away from them following court proceedings or while police decide whether they should be destroyed if they are thought to be a banned breed.

Police can seize dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

Barrow woman Meg Rose had her dog Biggie Smalls, a pitbull, confiscated by police, after officers suspected he was a banned breed.

Following behavioural tests, the dog was returned to its owner after a spell in police kennels.

Another pitbull owned by an Askam resident was destroyed after its owner admitted a number of dangerous dog offences.

The dog was said to have been dangerously out of control and was considered a banned breed.

A spokeswoman from Cumbria Police said the money was spent on kennelling to keep the public from harm.

She said: “To protect the public, when a dog is seized under section 1 of the dangerous dogs act, the dog must be removed from their owner and detained securely until court proceedings have concluded.

“It is the police's role to protect the public from harm and therefore it is the police who remove a dog who has been seized under section one of the Dangerous Dogs Act. In order to detain a dog securely, whilst maintaining the dogs welfare, they are placed in kennels.”

The figures, obtained under freedom of information laws, showed 11 dogs had been seized under the Dangerous Dogs Act in the past three years.

The number of dogs seized under section one of the Dangerous Dogs Act and destroyed before a court case was one.

In the past three years Cumbria Police has spent more than £267,000 on keeping dangerous dogs in police kennels. Officers can seize dogs with court permission.