EAST Hampshire District Council’s animal welfare team has established itself as one of the best in the land after winning a haul of gold medals in a national award.

The team won three golds out of a possible four, only one other council in the country matched that result.

EHDC officers Neil Thompson-Burton and Jen Rowberry earned the top grade for their care of stray dogs, contingency planning and for their regulation of animal boarding businesses around the district.

Ms Rowberry said: “We are a small team but we work very hard to make sure the animals in our district are well cared for and protected from harm.

“The animals are the

priority and we make every

effort to make sure they are being properly looked after.

“It is an incredible achievement to win three golds, out of just four, but we will be looking to get a clean sweep next time!”

The team’s work had been assessed by the RSPCA Community Animal Welfare Footprint Awards, a nationwide scheme.

The London Borough of Lambeth was the only other local authority in the

country to match EHDC’s success by wining three golds.

The council’s stray dog service was commended for its efficiency and care. The animal welfare team works in partnership with Portsmouth City Council Stray Dog Kennels which can safely look after the 91 strays picked up every year.

Dogs with information microchips are quickly re-homed but those without, or with out-of-date details, are harder to reunite with their keepers.

If their keepers cannot be found dogs are re-homed via a network of charities. The team was also rewarded for its contingency planning, with strong plans for looking after animals displaced after emergencies, such as flooding.

The third gold was won for enforcing strict regulations on animal boarding establishments, which include kennels, stables, catteries, pet shops and even the local bird zoo.

Ingrid Thomas, EHDC’s portfolio holder for neighbourhoods and housing, said: “I am very proud the efforts and achievements of our

hard-working team have been recognised by these awards.

“Having three important areas of the service rated as gold-standard just shows the quality of the overall service they provide.”