DOG lovers are being urged to microchip their canine friends to prevent them from being stolen or lost.

It is estimated 40,000 dog owners in the south east are breaking the law one year after microchipping became compulsory.

On the anniversary of the legislation, some 97 per cent of dogs are fitted with a device which allows the owner to track their movements.

Dogs Trust say 4,293 hounds were reunited with their owners in 2015-16, thanks largely to the detection devices.

Around 23 per cent of these cases are a direct result of microchipping, however, owners who don’t update their details risk the very real possibility of being permanently separated from their beloved family pet.

Alex Jackson, head of campaigns at Dogs Trust, said: “Whilst we will continue to work hard to make sure the remaining 3 per cent of dog owners in the south east get their dog chipped, we are pleased that the law is working well across the UK.

"A good proportion of local councils are issuing notices to people who have not microchipped their dogs or updated their details, so we hope to see the total number of people complying with the law increase significantly over the next few years.”

Authorities across the UK have issued 2,751 enforcement notices to owners since the legislation came into force because the dogs were not chipped or the details of the owners were incorrect.

The average fine issued to dog owners was £340, with the maximum penalty recorded as £500. It’s estimated that fines will total around £73,000 over the next five years.

Stray and abandoned dogs that remained unclaimed in kennels in the South East last year could not be reunited with their owners simply because they didn’t have up-to-date microchip details.