TWO dangerous dogs who attacked and killed a cat have been banned from a part of Rivington. 

The two greyhounds must be muzzled at all times in public places and they are not allowed to enter the grounds of Rivington Hall and Rivington Hall Barn, following a hearing at Chorley Magistrates Court.

The ruling comes after Chorley Council took civil action against the dogs' owner, 75-year-old Anthony Foden, of James Street, Horwich.

The court heard that the owner of the cat had returned home from a walk to find her pet lying dead on the wall of a private courtyard at Rivington Hall.

CCTV footage showed two greyhounds enter the courtyard and then attack and kill the cat.

The footage also showed Foden, who was carrying a muzzle, go into the courtyard and place the cat on the wall.

The incident was reported to a United Utilities countryside ranger by the owner of the cat, who then passed it on to Chorley Council.

When he was first interviewed under caution, Foden said that he had not seen the attack and told investigators that he had seen a black dog leaving the courtyard.

But after watching the footage he admitted that he was the owner of the dogs and accepted that he had not notified anyone about what had happened.

During the court hearing, Foden said he had made a mistake and apologised for not informing the owner of the cat.

Two dog control orders were issued in respect of the two greyhounds and Foden was also ordered to pay £410 costs.

After the hearing, Cllr Paul Walmsley, who oversees community safety for Chorley Council, said: “It is not unusual for the council to bring a civil complaint against a dog owner if the evidence brought before us is strong.

"We do have the power to take such action and in this instance these dogs were dangerous, certainly to other animals, and not kept under proper control.

“Mr Foden has been spoken to in the past about his dogs, he had insisted they were always muzzled and this clearly wasn’t the case. However, a breach of the dog control order could lead to a maximum £1,000 fine.

“We need people to take responsibility for their pets and use common sense or we will take action against them.”