An abandoned dog left to tied to a lamppost outside a police station has been recruited by the Metropolitan Police as a sniffer dog.

The Collie-Spaniel cross was found outside the police station in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, and was taken into care by a dog warden.

No-one claimed him, but animal welfare officers were impressed with his intelligence and felt it could be put to good use.

Ross will soon be pounding the beat

They contacted dog training units at Customs and Exercise and the Metropolitan Police, before a training place was found at the Met.

The dog has been named Ross by kennel staff, after the town where he was found, and he will undergo 16 weeks of rigorous training.

After his training he will start his career as a sniffer dog to help in the crackdown on illegal drugs on the streets of London.