A 36-year-old man has been charged after CCTV operators alerted police to someone who appeared to be repeatedly hitting a dog near the Mecca Bingo roundabout in Chester yesterday (July 9).

Officers were deployed and arrested Lee Wright, from the Chester area, on suspicion of animal cruelty.

Wright has since been charged with causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and will appear before Chester Magistrates’ Court on July 28.

Until then, he is on conditional bail which stipulates that he must not be in charge of any domestic animal.

The dog, believed to be a Staffordshire bull terrier, was removed from the scene and has been placed in care.

Sgt Andy Burrage, of Chester Inner Neighbourhood Policing Unit, said: “Behaviour such as this will not be tolerated and this case again shows the value of CCTV on city streets.

“In this case prompt action was able to be taken to ensure no further suffering was brought on the dog.”