FIVE people have been arrested as part of a crackdown on illegal dog fighting in Hyndburn.

Six bull terrier type dogs were seized during raids in Accrington and Oswaldtwistle, on Wednesday morning.

Dog fighting paraphernalia, including treadmills, electric collars and medicines, were also discovered when police searched the properties.

One dog was found to have suffered minor injuries when the dogs were taken to local kennels, police said

Officers were acting on information about suspected illegal breeds being kept for organised dog fighting.

Two men and a woman were arrested and three dogs seized from a house on Haywood Road, Accrington.

Two men were arrested and a further three dogs seized from two properties on Haslingden Old Road, Oswaldtwisle.

All five were being questioned on suspicion of possessing a fighting dog, on Wednesday afternoon.

Detective Inspector Simon Upton said this action has removed potentially dangerous dogs from the streets.

He said: “Keeping and training dogs for the purpose of fighting is both cruel and dangerous and will not be tolerated in Lancashire.

“Most dog owners care and look after their dogs very well but it’s important to reduce the number of potentially dangerous dogs in local communities to make them safer.”

Chief inspector Ian Briggs, of the RSPCA Special Operations Unit, said the raids were part of an on-going battle to wipe out organised dog fighting.

He said: “The fact this barbaric activity was banned nearly 200 years ago, yet here we are today leading another investigation, shows the scale of the challenge we face.

“The sad reality is that there are people up and down the British Isles who are prepared to train and fight their dogs for their own sick entertainment. While these people continue to do so, we’ll keep working alongside the police to try and catch them.”

The maximum jail term for an aggravated dog attack is now 14 years, following changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act. It is an offence for a dog to be dangerously out of control in all places, including inside the dog owner’s home.

Anyone with any information about dangerous dogs should call Lancashire Police on 101.