Ray Turnbull called the police on his mobile phone after two prowling Rottweilers surrounded him and his Jack Russell, Sid.

Ray Turnbull praises swift police action

But when the police arrived at his home in Blackhall, County Durham, they decided the dogs were too big to tackle without "back-up" of an unusual kind.

One officer jumped back in the van and drove to nearby Peterlee police station, where he armed himself with a noose, a special canister of CS spray for use on dogs, and most importantly, a handful of freshly fried pork sausages from the canteen.

When he returned, he laid a trail of sausages leading to the back of his van and the dogs tucked in, before they were bundled in.

'Excellent' initiative

Ray, 68, said: "The dogs forgot about us in a hurry. All that was on their minds were the juicy sausages.

"It was an excellent piece of initiative by the police, even though the ordeal was a bit embarrassing."

He added: "I'm sure they were after Sid and if he wasn't there I probably could have escaped. But I wasn't taking any chances - who would?"