A ban on the giving of pets as prizes on council-owned land has been reaffirmed by Tendring District Council (TDC).

A motion making the fresh commitment was agreed unanimously by councillors at a full council meeting on Tuesday, January 21.

TDC’s existing Animal Welfare Charter bans the giving of live animals as prizes on its land and councillors voted to review the document to ensure it remains up-to-date. Members also agreed that leader Mark Stephenson should write to Steve Reed, the Minister for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, urging the government to introduce an outright ban on the giving of live animals as prizes.

Currently it is an offence in England to give an animal as a prize to under-16s, but the RSPCA is campaigning to extend this to make it a crime regardless of age, as it is in Scotland.

Councillor Stephenson said: “It is heart-breaking how many animals and pets are left in cages because they are given away but the owners are not able to be responsible for them or care for them long-term. I am pleased to be able to support this work and for TDC to play its part in ending this cruel practice.”