A pensioner has criticised the police after they charged nearly £100 to look after her missing dog.

Ilse Matthews with Lukas

Ilse Matthews, 80, had to hand over £98.20 to retrieve her pet from kennels after he went missing for less than two hours.

Six-year-old Lukas bolted from Betjeman Park, Wantage, after being startled by a hot air balloon.

Mrs Matthews contacted the police and was grateful for a call within two hours to say the dog, which did not have a collar, had been found. But she was warned that she would have to travel to Abingdon the following day and pay a fee.

"It was a Sunday and I don't have a car," she said.

"My neighbour very kindly drove me to Abingdon police station and, after paying my ransom and at last being given the name of the kennels near Faringdon, I collected my dog.

"I feel the police action was high-handed and unsympathetic to say the least, causing lots of anxiety and worry."

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said there was a standard police charge of £25 to locate owners of lost dogs.

The remainder of the bill was to find kennels and feed a dog that had been found on the streets.

She added: "The extra charge was paid to the kennels to keep the dog until it was collected.

"If a dog had a collar with ID on it, it would be returned straight way. It is an offence to let a dog roam free."