Lose your dog this weekend and it could well stay lost. This was the stark warning issued by animal charities across the country yesterday on the brink of new legislation relieving the police of responsibility for stray dogs.

From tomorrow local authorities in England and Wales will have sole 24-hour responsibility for dealing with lost dogs. Previously the police took over responsibility outside office hours.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said that the authorities would “take a decision on what is a suitable level of service in their circumstances”, and would be “expected to provide the highest possible level of service according to local circumstances”. Local authorities were given £4 million from the police budget to enact the change in law.

But animal charities, including Blue Cross, Dogs Trust and the RSPCA, said yesterday that the law’s wording was “vague” and the money “pitiful”. Steve Goody, the director of companion animal welfare at Blue Cross, said that the problem was in the law’s provision that authorities must create 24-hour drop-off points for the dogs “where practicable”.

“It’s a bit of a get-out clause,” he said. The charity calculates that the Government’s £4 million grant equated to less than £10,000 per“ authority. “That isn’t going to go very far in providing a 24-hour service, seven days a week, 365 Piers Claughton, days a year,” he said. RSPCA Chris Laurence, veterinary director at Dogs Trust, said: “There is a risk that councils could claim that caring for every stray dog is not ‘practicable’. We are concerned that stray dogs may be left wandering the streets during times when dog wardens are not available, such as weekends.”

Piers Claughton, the RSPCA’s senior local government adviser, said: “The Government has not allocated enough money to local authorities to deal with stray dogs effectively and I fear it will have a massive impact on animal welfare.”

The charities also emphasised that, unlike rehoming organisations, local authorities have the right to destroy dogs after seven days.

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