A stray pooch scared off suspected drug dealers in Piccadilly Gardens after officers took it for a walk and they feared it was a sniffer dog.

The labrador was handed in the force’s city centre pod after being found by a member of the public who was concerned that it had been abandoned.

But when they decided to take it on a quick stroll through the gardens, well-known for dealers peddling cannabis, they spotted a couple of people making a quick getaway.

Inspector Phil Spurgeon, from the city centre policing team, said: “After being handed in to us, the staff at the pod took it for a walk.

“Quickly after setting off, they saw a couple of lads scurrying off thinking it was a sniffer dog.

“The dog has now been passed on to our contracted team of vets who will now send it on to a dogs home.”

(Image: Alex Hibbert)

The force’s Operation Mandera, which was launched in 2013 to tackle anti-social behaviour and drug dealing in the gardens, is still ongoing.

In May, the M.E.N revealed that since summer 2013 it had seen a total of 31 years’ jail time handed out to crooks who blighted the public plaza.

Inspector Spurgeon added: “We do take the drug issue in Piccadilly Gardens seriously and are still making arrests and getting results in court for people who push drugs in the area.

“But staff are doing it day in day out so they have to have those little moments of irony or farce that keep them smiling while working in a challenging area.”