A DOG owner has been hit with a fine of more than £1,000 for not having her pet microchipped and allowing it in a public place without a collar.

Bernadette Hamilton, 52, of Princess Avenue, Windlehurst, was found guilty in her absence at Liverpool, Knowsley and St Helens Magistrates’ Court.

The court heard how in July last year, Hamilton's female Jack Russell Terrier type-dog was reported to St Helens Council’s Dog Welfare and Enforcement Service after a council employee found it straying and causing a nuisance to traffic in Princess Avenue.

This was the second complaint received within the space of four days.

A Dog Welfare and Enforcement Officer attended, and on observing the dog causing a nuisance, served Hamilton with a notice under section 12 (a) of the Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015, requiring her to have her dog microchipped within 21 days.

Hamilton failed to comply despite being served with a final opportunity to comply notice, which effectively gives a dog owner an extra seven days to meet the requirements of the legislation.

She was also reported for an offence under the Control of Dogs Order 1992, after allowing her dog to be in a highway while not wearing a collar with the name and address of the owner inscribed, or on a plate or badge attached to it.

On Friday (February 2), Hamilton was fined £200 for each offence, along with with costs of £584.05 and she was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30.

Welcoming the prosecution, St Helens Council Council’s cabinet member for green, smart and sustainable borough, Cllr Terry Shields, said: “Laws surrounding the ownership of dogs have been set for a reason and we will ensure that they are enforced.

“If a dog is found unregistered to the address at which they live – or is allowed to roam unattended, becoming a public nuisance in the process, then an offence has been committed and the owner will be liable for a hefty fine.”