Morrisons has today (Wednesday) announced it will be donating over half a million meals to local pet rescue centres to help feed the nation's cats and dogs - after demand for pet food has surged during lockdown.

Last year saw an unprecedented rise in pet ownership.

With more of us at home than ever before, the desire for a companion reached peak levels with over two million dogs alone bought between March and September.

However, with millions more cats and dogs to feed in households up and down the UK, the need for pet food has dramatically increased.

In response to the increase in demand, Morrisons - with a store in Swadlincote - will set aside half a million meals in an effort to support local animal shelters - and to ensure no four-legged friend is left behind.

Its network of 'Community Champions' will work closely with their local shelters to distribute the meals up and down the UK.

Many animal shelters have been struggling through lack of funding and the economic fallout of Covid-19.

And as hope for summer and a return to normality grows, animal shelters are facing the risk of more pets needing re-homing as their owners can no longer meet their needs.

Faye Atkins, Pet Food Buyer at Morrisons said: "Throughout the pandemic, our focus has been on feeding the nation, so it only felt right to support those pets who may not have found their forever home just yet as well.

"We hope this donation will go some way to supporting the many shelters doing a fantastic job looking after some of our most vulnerable animals."

Earlier this week, Morrisons announced it is working closely with its suppliers as they invest in increasing their capacity.

While there is not 100 per cent full availability in stores, there remains plenty of stock for all its customers - and their new pets.