AN Evesham pub has named the most pooch-friendly in the region.

The Royal Oak fought off tough competition to be named the regional winner of the DogBuddy dog-friendly pub awards.

It is the third year of the awards, organised by the online dog sitting platform, that recognise deserving pubs across the UK that embrace four legged customers.

The awards also promote dog-friendly values across pubs nationwide, inspiring UK dog owners to discover and visit their local.

The Vine Street pub fought off fierce competition from a number of dog-friendly watering holes across the West Midlands but held on to the top spot after accumulating the most votes.

Alistair Barlow, landlord of The Royal Oak, said: "We are incredibly proud.

"It’s a brilliant achievement that the team and our guests can all be proud of.

"We hope this will encourage more dogs to visit The Royal Oak whether it’s for a bottle of homemade dog beer or bringing their mates for a ‘doggy birthday party’.

"It’s important to us to have an atmosphere that is warm, welcoming and friendly, it wouldn’t make sense to then exclude the four-legged family members.

"Personally, I think there’s nothing better than finishing a dog walk with a pint and a contented dog at your feet.”

Richard Setterwall, founder and DogBuddy chief executive, said: “For the third year running, DogBuddy – with the help of dog lovers up and down the country - has been searching for the best of the best when it comes to dog-friendly pubs, with The Royal Oak, we’ve found just that.

"The superb service demonstrated shows a real consideration for dog welfare and happiness, which we at DogBuddy value above all.

"The whole DogBuddy pack is proud to congratulate The Royal Oak on winning the dog-friendly pub award for the West Midlands and hopes that the awards will inspire dog owners country-wide to discover and support their local pubs.”

The pub was one of the 12 regional finalists and The Dog at Grundisburgh in Suffolk was eventually selected by a panel of judges that included the RSPCA, Snuffle Dog Beer, The Morning Advertiser, Your Dog Magazine, and Mr Setterwall.