THE COUNTDOWN is on for the county's most popular dog event as it returns for its sixth year.

The North East Dog Festival is back on September, Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 for the 'biggest one yet'.

Not only will visitors see more stalls for shopping and displays, they will also see that the festival has been moved into a bigger field at Kirkley Hall, Ponteland.

Directors Rebecca Ashworth Earle and Dawn Oliver Doyle said: “Last year saw a record number of visitors for us with our biggest festival yet, so as a team we’ve worked hard on how we can make it even better.

"There are more have-a-go activities (including some new additions) and more displays; along with plenty of shopping.

"One of the biggest changes is a move into one larger field with the aim of creating a great festival vibe. This is more than just an event for us, it is very much for the dogs.

"This year has proved difficult for our team with higher running costs but we hope the wonderful people of the North East will support this fantastic annual event - so grab those early bird tickets."