MORE than 30 dogs deemed to be dangerous were seized by police in Barnsley last year.

Barnsley was South Yorkshire’s least-affected area with 31, compared to Rotherham’s 38, Doncaster’s 67 and Sheffield’s 79.

Rachael Attwell, South Yorkshire Police’s dog legislation officer, said: “Our priority will always be to protect the public from harm.

“Where there is an ongoing risk to public safety, we will seize the dog and assess whether it can be rehabilitated and rehomed.

“The decision to destroy a dog is not one taken lightly and will always be the last resort.”