A dog-eating festival has returned to a Chinese province that's twinned with Newport , despite the Welsh city's council disapproval of the event.

Newport council unanimously condemned the the Yulin Dog Meat Festival back in January and decided to send a "strong-worded letter" to the provincial government in Guangxi.

However, harrowing footage has emerged showing dogs being burned alive in preparation for the annual Yulin dog festival in  China .

The Welsh city has been twinned with the province since 1996.

A delegation from Newport last visited China in 1999, while the Chinese last visited Newport in 2004 for the National Eisteddfod held in the grounds of Tredegar House.

But a petition was launched in 2018, calling for Newport Council to cut ties with the province until they stop the festival.

There are more than 33,000 signatures to date.

And more than 1.5 million people have signed another online petition demanding to ban the sick festival.

Cooked dogs await customers at a stall in Yulin

Every year, up to 15,000 canines are tortured, killed, skinned and cooked to be sold at the dog meat event.

The animals are slaughtered with clubs or beaten to death, and some are even blow torched alive.

Thousands of locals flock to the event ever every year to celebrate the summer solstice, buying, selling and trading the meat.

According to the Mirror , many of them believe dog flesh is beneficial to their body and health.

Approximately £10 million worth of dogs and £4 million cats are sold annually for their meat across China.

The Yulin dog meat festival, which begins today is held at Guangxi in China and lasts for 10 days.

The "strong-worded letter"

The council leader, Cllr Debbie Wilcox, confirmed earlier this month that a letter had been sent.

The leader said: "I can confirm that no response has been received to my letter of February 19, 2019 and we are chasing a response.

"It is unlikely however, that the letter alone will cause the Wuzhou Municipal People’s Government (WMPG) to change its approach to the Festival but it will add to the chorus of condemnation that the WMPG receives on the topic.

"The letter is the best and strongest expression of condemnation that the Council can send. It is doubtful that any further representation or action will have any greater impact."

Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International UK, said: “The dog meat trade in China is first and foremost about crime and cruelty.

"The Yulin festival is one small but distressing example of an unspeakably cruel trade run by dog thieves and sellers who routinely steal pets in broad daylight using poison darts and rope nooses, defy public health and safety laws, and cause horrendous suffering, all for a meat that most people in China don’t consume."

The Yulin dog meat festival was first launched in 2010, with growing demands from animal rights groups to ban the barbaric tradition.

This photo taken on June 20, 2018 shows a vendor pulling a trolley with dog meat

The RSPCA’s head of international, Paul Littlefair, said: “The Yulin dog meat festival is one of the high-profile reasons why the RSPCA is working closely with the Chinese authorities to help address animal cruelty.

“Since 2008, the RSPCA has been working to improve animal welfare in China.

"Working very closely with the authorities and other animal welfare organisations in the country, we have helped draft the country’s first law designed to address deliberate cruelty to animals.

"Although the law has yet to be passed, it has raised awareness of animal cruelty and there is growing opposition among the Chinese people to events like Yulin."