A 16-year-old Canterbury boy has been charged with assaulting a police dog-handler and causing unnecessary suffering to his Alsatian dog.

The boy, arrested in Herne Bay early on Monday, is also charged with dangerous driving, failing to stop and motoring offences.

The charges follow a chase in the Lower Herne and Bullockstone Road area in which police used a "stinger" device in an attempt to halt a vehicle.

A police spokesman said the dog-handler was not seriously hurt in the incident. The dog, Raoul, had an injured back and leg. Two other police officers had whiplash injuries. The teenager was due to appear before magistrates.