Thousands of banned dogs still living in UK homes

Almost 3,500 banned dogs included on the Dangerous Dogs Act banned list are living in homes in England, Scotland and Wales, new data reveals. 

The BBC obtained data from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), following a Freedom of Information request, which showed 3,499 banned dogs are registered. 

The figures reveal 3,316 of the banned dogs are in England, with 149 in Wales, and 13 in Scotland. 

There are four dog breeds that are on the Dangerous Dogs Act banned list, including the pit bull terrier, the Japanese tosa, the dogo argentino, and the fila brasileiro. 

Under legislation, these dog breeds can be taken from owners unless they are placed on the index of exempt dogs.