Greater Manchester 'hero' fire dogs honoured

Two fire service dogs are to receive special awards for "outstanding devotion and service to society" from an animal charity.

Labradors Echo and Cracker, who were part of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service's dog unit, will be presented with the PDSA Order of Merit, external at a ceremony in October.

Echo served as a search and rescue dog from 2004 to 2013 and assisted in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, while Cracker was trained to detect 20 different types of fire accelerant.