Bury has more than 100 XL Bully dogs registered in the borough, data published by The Spectator has revealed.

It became illegal to own an "XL bully" dog from February 1 unless the animal was on an exempt list.

Those who wished to keep their dog were required to register them and comply with strict requirements: the dogs must be microchipped, and they have to be muzzled and kept on a lead in public.

Additionally, those which were more than a year old on January 31 need to be neutered by June 30, while those under 12 months need to be neutered by the end of the year.

Sign up to our newsletters to get the latest stories sent straight to your inbox.

Owners were also given the option of getting their dog euthanised, for which they could then apply to be compensated financially.

Those without an exemption certificate can face a criminal record and an unlimited fine.

Earlier this month a Bolton man was told his unregistered XL Bully could be destroyed after it attacked another XL Bully, which was registered.

Part of Bury with the most XL Bullies

According to data acquired under the Freedom of Information Act by The Spectator, there are at least 123 XL bullies registered in the borough.

Neighbouring Bolton has 344 XL bullies registered in its postcode areas, or a rate of 115 per 100,000 people.

The highest rate of XL bully ownership in the borough is the M26 postcode, with 58 bullies registered in the Radcliffe and Stoneclough areas, for a rate of 156 per 100,000.

Coming in second is Whitefield. The M45 postcode area has 27 of the dogs registered, or a rate of 116 per 100,000 people in the area.

The BL9 postcode has 49 bullies registered – making a rate of 94 per 100,000 people.

BL8 sees 28 registered, at a rate of 77 per 100,000 people.

There are 19 bullies in Prestwich, with a rate of 58 per 100,000 people in the M25 postcode.

Those in BL0 will see fewer bullies than the rest of the borough.

Data for areas with fewer than 10 registered XL bullies has not been released, meaning there could be up to nine of the dogs in the postcode, with a maximum rate of 52 per 100,000 people.

Follow The Bolton News on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and TikTok.

Across the country, the postcode with the highest rate of XL bullies registered is L27, Netherley, with 55 registered in a population of just 6,728 – making a rate of 817 per 100,000 – far higher than the second highest, L24, with a rate of 471 per 100,000.

The postcode with the highest total number of XL bullies is CR0, in Croydon, London, with 219 registered.

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.