Aberdeen pet food bank suspended following ‘serious incident’

An Aberdeen-based animal shelter has temporarily halted its pet food bank service following a "serious incident" involving one of its staff members.

The police are currently handling the situation at Mrs. Murray's Home for Stray Dogs and Cats in Seaton, which happened on Wednesday afternoon.

The charity posted on Facebook: “We have sadly had to take the decision to suspend our pet food bank service with immediate effect.

“The safety of our staff is a priority and once measures are in place and we can resume our work in the community safely, we will commence this service, albeit in a different format.

“We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause, but please bear with us during this time.”

A Police Scotland spokeswoman added: “At around 12.20pm on Wednesday September 20, we received a report of a disturbance at Brickfield, East Seaton in Aberdeen.

“No-one was hurt. Officers are following a positive line of inquiry.”

The closure has exacerbated concerns about animal welfare amid rising living expenses.

It coincides with a fourfold increase in pet relinquishments in Aberdeenshire over the past year, as reported by the SSPCA.