A dog owner faces an £820 bill for not having an identification tag on a collar or a microchip registered for her pet.

Jenna Williams of Beech Avenue, Warminster was prosecuted by Wiltshire Council under the Control of Dogs Order 1992 and the Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulation 2015 after a member of the public found a stray with no identification.

It was chipped, but her details were not recorded on any government approved websites.

The animal was collected from holding kennels after two days and she was given a notice requiring the dog to be registered against the chip within 21 days.

Dog wardens team wrote to and called the owner, but when it was checked in January 2021, it still had not been correctly registered.

Magistrates at Salisbury went ahead with the case when the owner failed to turn up, and fined her £220 for each offence. Her total bill including costs was £820.

Cabinet member for public health Ian Blair-Pilling said:“The outcome of this case serves as a reminder that all dogs legally must be wearing both a collar and tag in public spaces and be microchipped with the details registered to a government approved provider.

“If all owners could ensure that they do this for their pets, our teams will be able to reunite any lost or stray animals quicker and easier, much to the relief of all concerned.”

Wiltshire Council dog wardens deal with an average 680 stray dogs a year and were recently awarded as Gold Footprint Award by the RSPCA for their policies and procedures when dealing with stray dogs.