A NORTH-East vet has offered some valuable advice to pet owners wanting to make the most of changes to quarantine laws.

With the summer approaching, Andrew Geldard, of the Stanhope Park veterinary practice, in Darlington, reminded pet owners that animals can be allowed into the UK without six months' quarantine, but there are strict criteria which must be met.

The pilot scheme, which is running until next year, only applies to cats and dogs coming into the country from certain countries and will only operate on certain air, sea and rail routes.

Pets will have to be micro-chipped, vaccinated against rabies, blood tested and treated against ticks and tapeworm. Once this is complete, a Government-authorised vet will need to issue an official certificate.

Owners will have to wait six months from the date a vet takes a successful blood sample before being able to come into the country.

Mr Geldard said: "The scheme in Britain has been crying out for change for a number of years now and it is good that the Government has taken steps to eliminate the need for quarantine.

"However, taking pets abroad is still quite a complicated process and pet owners need to be aware of factors such as the six-month rule before even considering taking their pets on holiday."

The countries and provinces involved in the pilot scheme are: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Vatican City.