DOG trainers at Lancashire's police headquarters have been cleared of cruelty after a major investigation.

The inquiry was sparked in the wake of a high profile case in Essex last November which saw two police officers jailed for cruelty.

A police spokesman confirmed that a serving officer had made a formal complaint about alleged cruelty to dogs at the Lancashire force's training centre.

The complaint came just days after Lancashire's chief constable Pauline Clare, vowed that lessons had to be learnt from the Essex case.

Mrs Clare, who is also chairman of the Association of Chief Police Officers sub-committee on dog training, launched an internal inquiry after the complaint was received.

The investigation took more than six months and gave the force a clean bill of health.

A police spokesman police said: "No action is to be taken against any officers following allegations of cruelty towards a dog.

"A full investigation was launched after a serving officer complained that a dog had been mistreated during a public order training exercise.

"The investigation established that there had been no ill treatment by any officers."

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