A DOG warden team slashed by two-thirds had nearly 500 calls about dangerous dogs in the past year, new figures show.

Now a Council boss is calling for more Government funding to help it tackle the owners of out-of-control dogs across the district.

From this week, local authorities and police forces have been given tough new powers to crack down on owners of aggressive dogs.

For the first time, police and councils can fine owners up to £20,000 if they refuse to take steps like muzzling the animal or taking it to obedience classes.

The Government said the move would help prevent thousands of dog attacks across the country every year.

But Councillor Val Slater, the executive member at Bradford Council responsible for the dog warden team, said this was not enough and authorities also needed more money to enforce the new laws.

She said: "Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be going hand-in-hand with giving us the resources to deal with the situation.

"With the swingeing cuts we have had, we have had to reduce the number of people in the dog warden section - and Bradford is a jolly big place."

The police recorded 65 crimes under the Dangerous Dogs Act across the district between April 2013 and September this year.

While the police step in if a dog attacks a person, the Council dog wardens can be called out to deal with other incidents, like dog-on-dog attacks, or aggressive dogs escaping from gardens or breaking free from their leads.

The dog warden team dealt with 490 calls about dangerous dogs in the past year, as well as 965 reports of lost dogs and 1,720 reports of stray dogs.

But the number of staff has been cut from six to two in recent years.

Cllr Slater (Lab) said as a result, the amount of work the team could do had reduced, which "may increase the problem".

A spokesman for the Government's Department for Food and Rural Affairs said while it recognised that budgets were tight, these new preventative powers could save money in the long run.

He said: "Dog attacks are devastating for victims and their families, which is why we are taking tough action against those who allow them to happen.

"Police and local authorities will now have more powers to demand that irresponsible dog owners take steps to prevent attacks before they occur.

“We recognise that local authorities are under resource constraints, but using these measures will help prevent dog attacks and incidents in the first place, and can save resources in the long run."

And Councillor Simon Cooke, deputy leader of the Conservatives on Bradford Council, added: "Blaming Government cuts really doesn't wash on this one at all."

He said it was the Council which had chosen to make cuts in these areas, while protecting other spending.

Cllr Cooke said he was very worried by the number of reports of dangerous dogs, and also called on the courts to impose tougher sentences on convicted owners.

He said: "We really need to, I think, be a bit harder on people who don't keep their dogs properly under control."

The toughening up of the law has been welcomed by local police.

Inspector Wayne Horner, of West Yorkshire Police, said: "These new powers are welcomed and will enable us to deal with reported incidents quickly and effectively."

The issue will be discussed at a meeting of the Council's Environment and Waste Management overview and scrutiny committee on Tuesday.