As many as eight Guide dogs for the blind are being attacked every month by other dogs, new shock figures reveal this week.

Now MPs are backing a call by the Blind Dogs charity to have all dogs microchipped so that irresponsible owners can be identified.

East London’s Poplar & Limehouse MP Jim Fitzpatrick was among 150 MPs supporting the move at a reception at the Houses of Parliament.

“The Government should consider new measures to control dangerous dogs including microchipping,” he urged.

The charity held the reception on Wednesday to highlight growing concern about the attacks and to ask MPs to help.

The government is currently consulting on compulsory microchipping only puppies, but that would be 10 to 15 years before all dogs are microchipped which the charity believes would take too long to have any impact.

The charity’s Campaigns manager David Cowdrey said: “We want the law changed so an attack on an assistance dog is treated as seriously as an attack on a person.

“The trauma caused by these unprovoked attacks could leave a blind or partially sighted person a virtual prisoner in their own home.”

The charity wants to see the compulsory microchipping of all dogs within two years as a first step to reducing the number of attacks.