WHITBY RNLI has advised dog owners to be extra careful with their pets around water following the rescue of a stricken pooch on Tuesday evening.

The inshore lifeboat was launched at 5.50pm after it was reported that there was a dog struggling in the water near the East Pier.

The volunteer crew located the dog which then climbed onto the bottom platform of the East Pier which is not accessible from land.

The dog was retrieved from the east pier and taken in the lifeboat to the bandstand and reunited with its owner.

Lifeboat mechanic and helm George Clemitshaw said: 'The RNLI is a charity that saves lives at sea, and that means also preventing lives from being at risk.

"It is quite common for owners to enter the water after their dogs, so its always a good idea to call the RNLI who can rescue the dog quickly and safely."

"The local coastgaurd team were also in attendance and provided a lookout for the dog from the piers.

"We would like to remind people to keep their dogs on a lead near deep water and to always call us rather than attempting a rescue themselves should a dog be in difficulty."