AN animal sanctuary is to built in the cruelty capital of Britain - the North-East.

The RSPCA has successfully overturned a council decision to stop the new centre being built at a former school and college at Chester Moor, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham.

The charity argued that the need for the region's second major welfare centre was overwhelming, given the North-East's appalling record on animal cruelty.

The only other RSPCA centre in the North-East, at Great Ayton, near Middlesbrough, is consistently full.

Work will start in the coming weeks at the site near the junction of Beaney Lane and Waldridge Lane.

Original plans for the centre, which would have cost £3m to build, have been scaled down after Chester-le-Street District Council rejected the scheme, arguing it contravened planning regulations for green belt land.

The charity then won its appeal to the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

The sanctuary will create about 15 jobs and will include training and education rooms, a shop and reception area, 38 kennels and 80 cat pens.

The RSPCA said the centre was needed as the region, combined with Yorkshire, is consistently top or near the top of the animal cruelty league.

According to the National Canine Defence League, there were 10,700 abandoned dogs in the North-East in 1999 - one stray for every 364 people, well above the national average of one for every 535 people.

The RSPCA's regional manager for the North-East and Yorkshire, Alan Wolinski, said: "Animal welfare work here in the North-East has been seriously disadvantaged by the lack of facilities of this type.

"We believe the opening of this new centre will allow us to address animal welfare problems much more effectively and relieve the suffering of hundreds of extra animals."

Leader of Chester-le-Street council Malcolm Pratt said: "We are pleased that the RSPCA decided to make the development considerably smaller than they originally intended."