YORK has been ranked as the safest area in the UK to own a dog, according to a new study.

The team at tails.com have carried out the research, analysing the UK’s top towns and cities to determine which is the safest for dogs and their owners.

When it came to the ideal location to own a dog, York topped the charts. With an impressive score of 70.9 out of 100, the "quaint, quiet" city came out as a firm winner.

With a low road traffic score of 120 and a low crime rate of 120 it was clear that dog owners could feel safer walking the streets on York with their furry friends.

Despite having only 18 emergency vets on record, while areas such as Sunderland had 60, York still managed to remain in the lead with 28 missing pet reports and a low pollution level of 24.51 - in contrast, Wolverhampton had a high pollution score of 68.97.

Plymouth landed in second place with a score of 69 out of the possible 100. The city scored highly for the high number of security cameras with 21,000, its low pollution rate of 31.2 and its number of missing dogs with 34.