Pet pooches join owners at the polls

Isla the whippet appeared in full bloom at one of Sunderland's polling stations early on Thursday

Thursday is decision day, as people across the North East and Cumbria vote in the UK general election.

Venues have been open since 07:00 BST, and anyone eligible can vote as long as you are in the queue before 22:00 BST.

For some, the trip to the polling station doubles up as an opportunity for pets to stretch their legs - and on a day when there are strict reporting restrictions in place for the media, pictures of dogs at polling stations have become a popular distraction.

Here are a few of the dogs whose owners have already exercised their right to vote.

The summer weather has left much to be desired, meaning this pair of pooches sensibly wrapped up for the trip to the polling station in Penrith, Cumbria

Frida, an Italian greyhound, was another fashionable canine decked out in her winter coat, this time in an unseasonal Middlesbrough

A more diverse turnout in High Coniscliffe, near Darlington, where Keith Gunning snapped this pair doing their bit to skew the eggs-it polls

Whitley Bay Cemetery and Crematorium is among the more unusual polling station venues welcoming voters and their dogs

It's a waiting game: this steadfast spaniel patiently awaited its two-legged friend outside a polling station in Penrith, Cumbria

Not everyone enjoyed their visit though - Emma Appleby said her dog, Bella, "didn’t like the disruption to her walk" as they stopped at Abbey Road Sports Pavilion in Darlington

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