Dogs across England showed up at polling stations for the Local Election with cute snaps being shared on social media.

Pictures of pooches dressed up in hilarious outfits were shared on Twitter under the hashtag #dogsatpollingstations, making this tradition the highlight of the day once again.

The English Local Elections taking place in selected councils is the Prime Minister's first electoral test.

However, this polling day fell on May 4, otherwise known by some as Star Wars Day due to the date's similarity to the phrase 'May the force be with you'.

Voter dresses up dog as Star Wars Ewok in bid to remind people to bring their ID to polling stations

The day's relation to the popular sci-fi film franchise inspired Helen Jakes to mark the occasion by dressing up her dog.

The 31-year-old from Batley, West Yorkshire dressed up as Princess Leia with her poodle cross Pekoe wearing an Ewok outfit.

She told PA News: “I’ve always been a big fan of Star Wars and General Leia, who would definitely exercise her right to vote, so the stars just aligned."

Among the pictures of cute dogs included more people advising voters to ensure they have a valid form of identification as ID becomes compulsory in Local Elections.

In a playful tweet, Anette Hill from Weston-super-Mare created an ID for her dog Ruby, complete with a name, photo and authorised signature in the form of a paw print.

The 58-year-old, who works in learning and development HR, said this was her golden retriever's first trip to a polling station, adding: “I discovered the #dogsatpollingstations a few years ago and always took our old dog – it’s the best thing on Twitter.

“It’s become a fun tradition for us to take our dog and bring a smile when doing something that can be quite dry.”

Paula Langford from Suffolk also joined in on the action with a picture of her rescue dog Bessie reminding people to bring their ID.

She said: “I thought sharing a quick pic might help to remind people to take their photo ID when they go to vote."

Zara Farrar shared a picture of her Labradoodles Blyton and Bronte when appearing at a polling station in Oxfordshire, saying she took them along as “everyone loves dogs at polling stations”.

The civil engineer accompanied her tweet with a reminder to bring ID, writing: "Blyton and Bronte would like to remind you that you now need photo ID to vote."

She told reporters: “Our polling station is at the end of one of our usual walks so it was a great opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, walk the dogs and exercise our democratic rights.”