THE drama of the last day of dog racing at the iconic Walthamstow Stadium has been captured on film.

The movie called Dogs Gone was made by freelance journalist Jonathan Brind and he has entered the film in the East End Film Festival, which runs from Thursday, April 23 for one week.

Mr Brind, 56, of Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, said: "A friend of mine for the last 30 years who is a fan of greyhound racing mentioned that the Stow was going to close and it would be the perfect subject to film."

There are two versions of the film, one a 15-minute short which has been entered into the film festival and a 42-minute version which is available on Mr Brind's website.

The film captures the sights and sounds of the iconic venue in Chingford Road as race fans marked the last day of racing at a venue which had hosted dog racing since 1933.

It cost about £500 to make, two months to shoot and a further two months to edit.

Mr Brind, a reporter at the Guardian from 1973 to 1976, said: "The film is not trying to say anything. It is chronicalling a historic event.

"Everyone calls the Stow an iconic landmark and it is a tragedy it has disappeared.

"Hopefully the publicity generated will encourage people to look at this issue again so that the site is not left to rot."

The Stow closed in August despite assurances from the Chandler family, who owned the stadium, that a deal had not been done to sell the iconic venue and dog racing would continue for years.

Developers London and Quadrant Housing Trust bought the land in May and turned down a last minute rescue bid of £33 million for the site weeks before the stadium closed.

A campaign called Save Our Stow (SOS) was set up to save the threatened racing stadium.

Barry Clegg, 43, a SOS member, of Mark Avenue, Chingford, said: "I have seen bits of the film and it is a good film.

"The closure of the Stow is an absolute travesty. This is borough that now has no leisure facilities."

Copies of Dogs Gone are available to buy at brind.tv for £9.99 plus postage.