Costs for running Bradford's dog warden service could soar if controversial proposals to pass all responsibility for stray dogs solely to local authorities are passed by Parliament.

It would end the out-of-hours service operated at some Bradford police stations which accept and kennel strays.

There are fears the £200,000 a year running cost of the Council unit, recognised as one of the best in Britain, could rocket.

Yorkshire has one of Britain's biggest dog populations with an estimated 50,000 living in the Bradford district.

The Council unit provides a service for strays during office hours and deals with about 1,000 animals a year. The police pay for the reception and boarding of the dogs they deal with when the Council service is shut.

The Clean Neighbourhoods Bill being put to Parliament by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has sparked opposition from Bradford Council.

Executive member for the environment Councillor Anne Hawkesworth said they would demand funding to cover the cost of the work if the police were relieved of their responsibilities.

A spokesman from the Local Government Association, which represents Britain's councils, said it would oppose the bill unless funding was given for the extra burden.

Coun Hawkesworth said: "It would obviously have big repercussions for us and we want to make it very clear that the Government cannot carry on taking responsibilities from other bodies and passing them on to councils without the funding to cover it."

The Council's dog warden manager Terry Singh, who was awarded the BEM in 1992 for his work in the service, said: "If total responsibility was passed to the local authority we would have to extend the collection of stray dogs to provide an out-of-hours service. We would also have to consider reception and holding facilities.

"It is obvious this additional role will have major resource implications for local authorities."

Bradford's dog warden service was the first in Britain to be awarded the BSI quality assurance mark.

It was also one of the first in the country to introduce a voluntary dog registration scheme.

Mr Singh said: "We receive about 1,000 dogs a year and it is accepted a similar number would be handled by the police."

No estimate has been made by Council officers of the extra cost if the police role was stopped because guidance has not been issued on the level of service they would have to provide.

Vice-chairman of West Yorkshire Police Authority Councillor Clive Richardson said: "I do not think that the police should be dealing with either stray dogs or lost property.

"It is absolutely illogical because they have nothing to do with the police and fighting crime but I do think if local authorities are asked to deal with stray dogs they should get the right funding."