Police 'seize thousands of dangerous dogs amid calls for reform'

Police have seized nearly 5,000 dogs suspected of being banned breeds from owners in England and Wales in the past three years, according to reports.

The RSPCA is reportedly calling for the Dangerous Dogs Act to be amended due to concerns that it is too wide in its scope.

The animal welfare charity is said to want new laws that ban dogs based on their behaviour, rather than their breed.

Pitbull terriers, Argentine mastiffs and Japanese tosas are among some of the breeds banned under the 1991 Act.

The BBC reported the figures after it emerged the Metropolitan Police are preparing to put down 300 illegal dogs seized from their owners in 2016.