THERE was a security scare at Crufts dog show as a man appeared to run on to the arena as the winner was being announced on live television.

Owner Yvette Short, of Edinburgh, could be seen clutching the overall winner, a two-and-a-half-year-old whippet bitch called Tease, as the commotion unfolded and security guards appeared to run down the intruder at the NEC Birmingham.

Crufts organisers, the Kennel Club, said they could not confirm if it was a protest of some kind and added they are "looking into the incident".

The male intruder, who appeared to be carrying a banner which had the name of the animal rights group Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) on it, was quickly wrestled to the ground.

A Crufts spokesman said: "It appears that protesters from Peta gained unauthorised access to the ring in the main arena at Crufts, and in doing so scared the dogs and put the safety of both dogs and people at risk in a hugely irresponsible way.

"Our main priority at the moment is the wellbeing of the dogs that were in the ring, who are looked after by their owners and show officials. The NEC Group have extensive security procedures in place at Crufts and we, along with the NEC Group, will be reviewing what happened as a matter of urgency."