Warning to pet owners after Alabama Rot outbreak hits Lancashire

And owners are being warned to check their pets for signs of Alabama Rot which is fatal in up to 80 per cent of dogs.

The latest confirmed case came in Heath Charnock, near Chorley, where a dog had to be destroyed. It follows two previous fatalities in Garstang in 2014 and Fulwood last year.

The total number to die of the disease in the UK now stands at 109 since Alabama Rot was first detected here in 2012. There are no details of the Heath Charnock case which is part of a recent outbreak spread across six counties.

David Walker, of Anderson Moores vets, the country’s leading expert on the disease, said: “Although we are working hard to find the cause of Alabama Rot, it is currently still unkown, which makes the reappearance of the disease concerning.”

Symptoms to look out for are skin sores, most commonly on the lower legs of the animal, which appear as a swelling and become open and ulcer-like.