Dog needed op after taking shine to Christmas lights

It could have been “lights out” for a dog that swallowed a foot of Christmas fairy lights if a team of vets had not performed life-saving surgery on him.

Charlie, a seven-year-old crossbreed dog from Southampton, was saved by surgeons from veterinary charity PDSA after wolfing down his family’s Christmas lights.

The dog has a track record for getting his paws — and teeth — on household objects, having once eaten his owner Sharon Fay’s scarf.