A HAMPSHIRE MP has spoken out against pet owners who treat animals like “fashion accessories”.

Eastleigh MP Chris Huhne made the comments while visiting the Blue Cross adoption centre in West End.

There he met some of the dozens of Staffordshire bull terriers that have been taken in by the volunteers and staff, a rising trend over the past few years.

Mr Huhne, the Liberal Democrat Energy Secretary in the coalition Government, said: “There is an appalling wave of abandoned dogs locally because owners do not think about how to look after their animals, the time needed to exercise them, and the cost of feeding them.

“It saddens me to see devoted and loyal pets treated like fashion accessories to be thrown away when their owners are bored.”

He said that the Government was considering its response to a consultation on the law surrounding dog ownership.

He added: “I think we should look carefully at the experience of encouraging more responsible pet ownership in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where microchipping of pets, neutering and training of owners are all playing a part in improving animal welfare.”