Four-legged friends will be wagging their tails when they hear that one Cumbrian cafe has just gone canine.

Lanercost Tea Rooms, near Brampton, has launched Bark & Brew, a dog-friendly seating area designed for owners and their dogs to take a break in comfort rather than sitting outside.

Owner Victoria Farley, who has two dogs of her own - Max, a Border Terrier, and a Norfolk Terrier named Jasper - is delighted.

She said: "I am a self-confessed dog lover and because I am that very embarrassing kind of person who sees there's a dog outside and has to go and say hello, to me it's going to brighten up every working day.

"To me it just seemed to be the perfect thing to do and I'm thinking why has it taken me so long to do it, but it seems that more people want to have their dog with them as part of the whole family day out experience."

Victoria said it is generally pubs that allow pets and they wanted to be among the first places - other than pubs - to welcome every man and his dog.

"We receive constant requests to allow dogs into the tea room.

"We've never hidden the reason why we couldn't allow dogs in previously.

"It's nothing to do with anything other than a confined space with people and dog personalities that may not always see eye to eye," she said.

"A lot of places hide behind the fact that it's for hygiene reasons and it isn't.

"There's nothing in the law and certainly as far as hygiene is concerned that prevents you from allowing dogs in."

The tea rooms has always provided drinking water for dogs - and staff love to see people bring them - but has seen customers go elsewhere because they previously hadn't allowed dogs.

It's something that's never been a problem during the summer when dog owners can enjoy the weather outside, but Victoria wanted to be able to offer them an indoor space to enjoy.

Now man's best friends can lounge around in the comfort of the new dedicated cafe.

The space has been created in the visitor information centre, separate from the existing tea room but as close as the outdoor terrace.

It is kitted out with dog beds, relaxed seating and the same ambiance as the tearoom.

"If people haven't got dogs they can still use that space if they want to but it's clearly defined as Bark and Brew and people know that if they sit there might be dogs in that space too, which is absolutely fine. We feel we've got the best of both worlds," added Victoria.

The Hadrian's Cavalry Exhibition on Hadrian's Wall starts in April and Victoria wanted to make sure people coming to the area had a dog friendly place to visit.

Bark & Brew opened yesterday.

They will be looking to introduce more dog accessories and products but will initially listen to customers to find out what they think.