A DOG warden says numbers of stray dogs in Worcester are on the rise, many of them without microchips which help trace their owners.

There are now 11 dogs in Worcester's kennels which have gone unclaimed which does not count those strays which have already been reunited with their owners thanks to the dog warden service.

Dog warden Pip Singleton said only four out of the 11 animals picked up had a microchip while the rest did not have up-to-date information stored in the microchip which makes it difficult to trace the owners and means the animals spend longer in kennels. There are only 25 places at the Worcester kennels with one of the busiest times of the year ahead for abandoned dogs over the Christmas and New Year period. Miss Singleton has already said cruelty and neglect of dogs was worse than she had ever seen it in Worcestershire during the last 20 years.

She said: "Eleven dogs is an awful lot. If the microchips not up-to-date they're effectively void. A lot of the time the telephone number comes up as not recognised or a person has moved house and not kept their details up-to-date. The dog has to be kept in the kennels for longer and longer. I would like people to be responsible for their dogs. There is no excuse."

The animals have been picked up all over Worcester - two outside the police station in Castle Street, three in Dines Green, one on the A46 and one in St John's. One had fleas, two were obese and one had sarcoptic mange.

Miss Singleton, dog warden and animal welfare officer for Worcestershire Regulatory Services, urged dog owners to get their pets microchipped and keep that information up-to-date to include any change of address or telephone number. She said the Dogs Trust provided this service free-of-charge so there was 'no excuse' for not having it done. She also said a metal disc on the collar with a telephone number at a cost of around £3 to £4 also helped.

Miss Singleton said: "We're here to help. We're not here to judge them. I would rather they pick up the phone and get advice than dump the dog. Don't let your dog escape and run away where it can interfere with other people's lives by fouling, by frightening people or by causing a road traffic accident."

She said she was also hand to give advice to people if they were struggling to afford to feed their dogs or pay vets' fees.

There have been fewer dog welfare and cruelty cases this week after Miss Singleton said last week the situation was the bleakest it had ever been. A month ago there were nine dogs in one vets in Worcestershire.

There was a happy ending for one dog when Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross Barney recovered from the deadly disease Parvo, one of only 5 per cent of dogs to survive. Following recent coverage of the plight of county dogs two people have also approached the dog warden for help, including one person who was struggling to cope with a dog and a woman who was due to lose her home who needed a rescue place for her dog.

For help or advice call Worcestershire Regulatory Services on 01905 822799.