A THIRD awareness day is to be held as part of a major campaign aiming to cut the risk of dog attacks.

Dog owners will be able to get advice on looking after their pets and practical help such as free micro-chipping at the event at Higher Fold Community Centre in Leigh on April 27.

The awareness day is part of Jade’s Campaign, which was launched following the death of teenager Jade Lomas-Anderson, pictured. The 14-year-old from Hag Fold in Atherton was mauled to death in March last year by a pack of dogs.

The campaign was launched to encourage owners to be responsible and control their dog’s behaviour.

It is backed by Jade’s family and run by Wigan Council, Wigan and Leigh Housing, Greater Manchester Police and dog welfare charity Blue Cross. Jade’s Campaign was launched in September with an awareness event in Atherton.

Hundreds of dog owners turned out to get advice on taking care of and controlling their pets.

During the event, 130 dogs were micro-chipped, 180 dog-owners were given expert advice and a professional dog trainer held 12 one-on-one training sessions with dog owners. A second awareness event was held in Pennington Flash Country Park in December.

The next event takes place at Higher Fold Community Centre between noon and 4pm.

Blue Cross will be offering free micro-chipping while dog owners will be able to get other tips and advice on being a responsible dog owner.

Donna Hall, chief executive of Wigan Council, said: “The message we want people to understand is that if a dog isn’t cared for properly they can potentially become dangerous.

“A quarter of a million people were attacked by dogs last year. We think this could be significantly reduced if people took better care of their dogs.”