An English springer spaniel is behind bars after her identity chip malfuctioned on the way back from a family holiday.

Merlot, a 19-month-old puppy, was on a two-week holiday to Bordeaux in south-west France with her owners, Mandy and Peter Douglas, but failed to get back into the country after a routine scan could not locate the chip.

The dog was held by French officials until Mrs Douglas, 44, from Sanderstead, could arrange for a British veterinary surgeon to take Merlot across the Channel to be held in an English quarantine.

Mrs Douglas said: "It was terrible. We got to the animal check-in at Calais but when the customs officials tried to scan Merlot they coudn't find the microchip.

"They scanned her a few times but they told us we would have to make arrangements for Merlot to be placed in quarantine until a solution was found."

Faced with the prospect of being without her beloved puppy for more than six months, Mrs Douglas opted to have the faulty chip surgically removed and sent back to the Spanish manufactures for repair.

Even though Merlot has a valid pet passport she has been in quarantine since June 25.

Mrs Douglas said: "We eventually found a very kind vet in Folkstone who agreed to meet us on the ferry and take Merlot back to his practice to wait until it had been resolved.

Within days the vet had found the chip with an X-ray and told us we could have it surgically removed and sent back to the makers."

The microchip is currently in Spain awaiting repairs. It could take up to four weeks for the fault to be found and rectified.

Mrs Douglas added: "We really are ripping our hair out here.

"We have done everything we were meant to do.

"We got Merlot microchipped, we got a pet passport and had all the injections and treatments we were meant to before we left the UK.

"We just miss our dog and want her back home. It has all been very stressful for us and for Merlot."

A spokesman for Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs said: "The Pet Travel Scheme forms part of the UK's rabies import controls to maintain the country's rabies-free status.

"If all the conditions of the Pet Travel Scheme are not met, the animal must enter quarantine.

"If the microchip cannot be read or found, which is very rare, the animal will not be allowed to travel under the Pet Travel Scheme."