RESCUE Dogs will be put through their paces across the woods, moorlands and hills of one of Lancashire's finest beauty spots.

United Utilities has opened its 26,000 acres of Bowland estate as a training ground for search and rescue dogs, which save the lives of many people in East Lancashire each year.

The sponsorship deal between United Utilities and the Search and Rescue Dog Association (SARDA) is in response to the new Countryside Rights of Way Act that will become operational in the Trough of Bowland on Sunday September 19.

Iain Nicholson, a handler from SARDA explained that practice in finding "dogsbodies" - the volunteers who hide from the dogs and their handlers - is a vital element of their training.

He said: "New training areas are essential to SARDA. Our dogs are very bright and quickly catch on if the same piece of land is being used too much - they remember the hiding places.

"The Trough of Bowland is an ideal area as it contains a number of different and challenging types of terrain. We are very grateful to United Utilities for allowing us to use the land." Bowland Estate team leader, Ian Grindy, added: "The dogs and their handlers do an invaluable job."