DOG wardens working on behalf of North East Lincolnshire Council have now established a round-the-clock service, ahead of new Government legislation introduced next week.

From April 6, the sole responsibility of dealing with stray dogs will lie with local councils rather than the police. And in North East Lincolnshire, the council will now have a dog warden to deal with any strays reported to its 24-hour hotline.

Billy Walker, of Walkers Kennels in Grainsthorpe, will take responsibility for the service. The 24-hour service began on April 1 and can be reached by calling 01472 388551 or 077324 86948 after 5pm weekdays and at weekends.

The council has a statutory duty to collect stray dogs and prevent them being a danger in traffic or a nuisance to people. The stray dog will be taken back to boarding kennels and kept there safely for seven days to see whether or not the owner comes forward for the dog. The owner will be contacted if the dog has been chipped or his own identification tag.

Any complaints about dogs will be responded to as quickly as possible, normally the same day. After the seventh day the dog will be rehomed but will be chipped so that the dog’s future ownership is known.

Cyril Mumby, environmental enforcement manager at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “We are pleased to have launched our out-of-hours dog warden service and have every confidence that it will make the process of handling stray dogs easier.

“Please contact the out-of-hours telephone number if you want to report a stray dog in the North East Lincolnshire area.”