Mr Root alludes to ‘bringing in dogs from Greece and Ireland’. He presumably refers to Greyhounds in Need, with their desperately-needed work to help greyhounds which are starved and beaten – in one case I know of, a greyhound’s ears were cut off so the racing brand could not be seen.

In Spain, the dogs are hung when past their ‘sell-by date’.

Friends of the Strays of Greece does sterling work with the ill treated, starving and neglected dogs and cats of various parts of Greece.

In the case of both charities nominal numbers of dogs are brought in to waiting and approved homes – generally financed by the individual who wants them.

There is no way that they make an iota of difference to the RSPCA, or to the number of strays here.

The reason lies in the over-breeding of pedigree and other dogs and the lack of neutering (as the RSPCA and Dogs Trust will confirm).

Celia Marker, Post Office Lane, St Ives