An arrest warrant has been issued for a restaurant owner accused of causing unnecessary suffering to his dogs. 

Ediz Haztulc, director of Cyprus Garden restaurant in Southend Road, Chingford, is accused of injuring his two Rottweiler dogs through an illegal practice known as 'docking'. 

The 41-year-old allegedly tied a rubber band around the tails of the young dogs between April 5 and 10 of this year. 

Prosecutor Mark Jones for the animal welfare charity, the RSPCA, said: "One of the Rottweiler's had lost its tail and the other was about to lose its tail."

Haztulc, whose address is listed as the Turkish venue off the A406, is now wanted for failing to appear at Thames Magistrates Court today.  

Anyone found guilty of unlawful docking could face up to six months in jail and a fine of £20,000.  

Docking, or tailing, was outlawed in 2007 under the Animal Welfare Act (2006) but is permitted by a veterinary surgeon for medical treatment, to save a dog's life and for working dogs used in connection with law enforcement, pest control and lawful animal shooting.