RIBBLE Valley MP Nigel Evans today demanded that the government cut through red tape and 'fast track' rescue dogs out of quarantine.

His call comes as seven specially-trained Lancashire rescue dogs were left behind at Manchester Airport on Monday as the UK Fire and Rescue team touched down from earthquake-ravaged Algeria.

They had rummaged through rubble trying to find survivors of the devastating earthquake.

The Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs insisted the animals undergo a six-month stint in quarantine.

But members of the team, backed by local MPs, want the legislation changed to allow the dogs to get back to work and be reunited with their owners as soon as possible.

The Ribble Valley Tory MP said: "These dogs have clearly been used to try to save lives. We now have pet passports and there should be a blanket scheme covering animals such as these.

"They've clearly been supervised throughout and the government should fast track them back into service and action. They should cut through the quarantine red tape.

"These dogs will be needed and, indeed, could need retraining after six months in quarantine.

"If this is not sorted out, the firemen may think twice before taking the dogs on similar rescue missions."

The fear is that dogs who have been abroad in a disaster zone could have come into contact with other animals and possibly caught rabies or other illnesses.

Chief veterinary experts working for DEFRA insist that the latest scientific evidence proves that a permanent eradication of rabies in the UK would be threatened if a six-month quarantine was slackened.

But that is little comfort to dog handlers who accompany firefighters on rescue missions with their specially-trained pets.

The dogs stranded in Manchester include labradors, border collies and cross breeds.