More dogs stolen in North West than any other part of UK, data shows
The shocking findings have led to The Kennel Club launching a new campaign to improve stats surrounding dog thefts and ensure culprits are brought to justice.
The North West of England has become the worst place for dog thefts in the whole country, new data has revealed.
As many as 335 pooches were stolen from this region during the course of 2020 according to The Kennel Club – accounting for 14% of all thefts nationwide.
The leading dog organisation also found there were 2,355 instances of dognapping in 2020 overall – up 7% from 2019.
Figures revealed that police solved just 2% of these crimes.
More dogs were stolen from the North West than in any other part of the UK in 2020 / Image: Pauline Loroy via Unsplash
In the case of North West dog thefts, no suspect was identified in more than a quarter of those cases and no one was charged with any crimes.
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The Kennel Club is now mounting a new campaign, titled “Paw and Order: Dog Theft Reform”, to improve these stats – calling for a centralised database containing information on dog thefts that can be shared by various police forces.
The campaign also asks for the emotional value of dogs to be recognised in sentencing – with legislative guidelines currently only taking into account the monetary value of animals.
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The Kennel Club has launched a campaign calling for improvements in catching dognappers / Image: Cristian Castillo via Unsplash
Bill Lambert, health, welfare and breeder services executive, The Kennel Club, said: “Dog theft has devastating consequences for both the owners and the pets involved and it is quite frankly jaw dropping that 98 per cent of cases never result in a criminal charge, and in more than half no suspect is ever identified.
“Not only that, but when a suspect is found and sentenced, dog theft is often treated no more seriously than a petty crime, despite the fact that there is nothing ‘petty’ about pet theft.”
A law change came into effect last month increasing the maximum sentence for the worst animal cruelty offences from six months to five years in England and Wales.
Under the new Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021, offenders in England and Wales can receive longer prison sentences and also receive an unlimited fine.
Manchester
Some of the best St. Patrick’s Day deals, offers and specials in Manchester city centre this year
Danny Jones
St Patrick’s Day 2026 is nearly upon us, and we can’t wait to drink a river of Guinness, sing old Irish classics, dance a jig and be generally merry.
It’s a good job we know exactly where to make the most of the festivities then, isn’t it?
The best Paddy’s Day deals and offers around Manchester | 2026
1. Cheap Guinness and brilliant, beefy pies at The Black Friar – Salford
First up on our list this year, the beautiful Black Friar pub and bistro over on the edge of Salford is doing £4.50 Guinness for St. Patrick’s Day 2026 – one of the best prices you’ll find in town these days.
But that’s not all: they’re also doing a special Guinness and Beef Pie special, which you can grab with a pint of the good stuff for £17, plus £15 bottles of wine, as well as beers and cocktails for just a fiver. You can book a table HERE.
2. St Patrick’s Day specials at Hello Oriental – Oxford Road
More of a fun little one-off rather than a deal or discount, per se, but when we saw that even pan-Asian food hall Hello Oriental was getting involved with Paddy’s Day, we couldn’t ignore it.
As well as they’re already viral spice bags, they’re also doing a Black Bean Guinness Noodles dish – available with chicken or completely vegan – and we’ll admit we’re very keen to try it for ourselves.
3. Lots of the black stuff at Black Cat Club – Central
No-nonsense here: £5 pints of black gold, £2.50 shots of Baby Guinness, and a special ‘Frozen Fat Frog’ cocktail, which is basically an alcoholic slushie with Blue WKD, Smirnoff Ice and Orange Bacardi Breezer.
They’ve also got a special Irish-themed food menu for the weekend, too, including Guinness-glazed wings, spice bags, which can be enjoyed with crispy chicken and chip shop curry sauce.
Plus, there are always games to be played. (Credit: The Manc)
4. A big St. Patrick’s Day party on Peter Street – Deansgate
Albert’s Schloss remains one of the best nights in town for all seasons, so it’s no surprise that they’re throwing a smashing St. Patrick’s Day bash every year.
This time around, there’ll be ‘Kunst Kabarat’, Celtic comfort foods like pie, Irish boxty and sticky toffee pudding serving out of the Cook Haus, as well as prizes to be won like free merch, drinks tokens and even £100 off your bill. Tickets are available now.
5. Free entry and MUCH more at O’Malleys – Portland Street
At the other end of the spectrum, you could argue that free entry isn’t anything too spectacular, but it’s becoming increasingly common on Paddy’s Day, and luckily, O’Malleys has lots of other stuff going on too – all the way until 4am.
How about merch, ‘Seflie Guinness’ (with you face on) from their ‘Stoutie’ machine, a happy hour running from 3-6pm on 16, 18 and 20 March, with £6 cocktails, £4 selected beers/ciders, £18 house wine and £5 Guinness available? Oh, and they also do bottomless Guinness brunches, too, so yeah – there’s plenty.
6. Guinness pastries, pies and plenty of pints at O’Connell’s – Oxford Road
It may not be the Thirsty Scholar anymore, but what that does mean is they go extra ham over at O’Connell’s at this time of year nowadays – and they’re bringing back an exclusive fan favourite special as well.
As well as the recent and extremely popular beef and Guinness collab with V. Goode Pies returning for the day, they’ve also teamed up with Half Dozen Other to create a Guinness Pain Suisse – yes, really – which will serve as arguably the best pub snacks in the entire city come 17 March 2026.
7. 50% off special Paddy’s Day cocktails at Slug & Lettuce – Piccadilly (only)
Everyone knows the Slug, it doesn’t need any introduction – BUT, they’ll likely be busy all week around Paddy’s Day and do have a banging offer this year.
They’re doing a Paddy’s Apple and Lemonade made with the brand’s fruity Irish whisky, topped with apple juice and lemonade for half price between 16 March and 12 April, when you download the MiXR app ahead of time. Simple as that.
Now, this is by no means a comprehensive list; we just thought we’d put you on to a few good ones we’ve seen in and around the city.
And, of course, if you spot any good St. Patrick’s Day deals in Manchester, do let us know and drop them in the comments for everyone to make the most of.
We hope you enjoy the celebrations, and please drink responsibly.
Before you leave us, you might as well check out some of our favourite Irish pubs and bars in the area for Paddy’s Day 2026…
Manchester has been named one of the UK’s top ‘pub culture’ hotspots
Emily Sergeant
New research has revealed which UK towns and cities are home to the best pub culture, and it’s no surprise that Manchester’s made the cut.
With St Patrick’s Day merely days away at this point and summer also firmly on the horizon, it’s about to be a big time for British pubs and the humble beer garden – but which towns and cities across the UK have the best ‘pub culture’ there is to offer? Where are you guaranteed a top-tier night out or day drinking session?
Well, in a bid to get to the bottom of that, the travel experts over at Big House Experience decided to do some important research.
By analysing thousands of data points across every UK postal town area, researchers created a comprehensive index awarding each location a ‘Pub Culture Score’ out of 100.
And Manchester secured a coveted place in the top five.
Manchester has been named one of the UK’s top ‘pub culture’ hotspots / Credit: Ben Black | Fred Moon (via Unsplash)
Overall, Manchester earned itself a ‘Pub Culture Score’ of 96.1, which is pretty impressive if you ask us, and is certainly an ode to the wide – and ever-growing – variety of watering holes, both new and historic, that we have dotted all over the city.
Other northern cities claiming a spot in the top 10 include Newcastle at six, and Sheffield at seven, while out of top 10 is where you’ll find Ripon and Chester, while other major UK cities like London, Glasgow, and Cardiff are all, unsurprisingly, featured too.
The UK’s Top 10 ‘Pub Culture’ Cities
Bristol – 100
Edinburgh – 99.5
Birmingham – 96.9
Manchester – 96.1
Reading – 94.2
Newcastle – 94
Sheffield – 90.7
Glasgow – 89.3
London – 87.5
Chelmsford – 82.3
When it comes to the number one spot though, that title goes to Bristol, as the West Country city scored full marks thanks to offering a total of 1,211 pubs across the entire postal area – which is the equivalent of almost 25 pubs per 10,000 people.
Following closely behind is the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, with a near-perfect score of 99.5, and Birmingham claims third place with a score of 96.9.
The Manc -
26th July 2021 
