A two-year-old dog had to undergo an operation to remove a discarded fish hook she swallowed on an Island beach.

Wendy Methley, 74, from Sheerness, had to pay £1,100 to have it removed from her chocolate labrador, Poppy.

She is now calling on anglers to be more careful and warning other dog owners and parents of young children of the dangers.

She said: “Hooks and lines were left behind on Minster beach after a fishing competition.

“These events should be regulated. There should be stewards up there making sure people clean up after themselves.

“A couple of people did tell me to be careful along The Leas as a couple of dogs had come off the beach with bleeding paws because of leftover hooks, but we were up the top, not even down on the pebbles.

“Someone must have tried to throw the line in the bin but not made it.

“Now I’ve had to pay for someone else’s incompetence and it could have been worse.

“Poppy is getting on well but if this had happened to an older dog, they might not have been so lucky.”

Mrs Methley was walking Poppy by the beach huts last Tuesday, at about 10.30am, when it happened.

She said: “I was talking when I noticed a fishing line hanging out of her mouth. She ran off, I called her again and she came back. I tried to pull it, but I didn’t want to pull it too hard in case there was a hook on the end of it.

“The next minute she swallowed the whole thing.”

Mrs Methley, who has three children and six grandchildren, took Poppy to Abbey Veterinary Surgery in Halfway and an X-ray revealed the two-inch hook. It had to be surgically removed and Poppy needed 18 stitches. She now has to eat light meals and is not able to go out for 10 days but is expected to make a full recovery.

"I’ve had to pay for someone else’s incompetence and it could have been worse" - Wendy Methley

Mrs Methley said: “I am a widow so she’s my companion. She’s OK in herself. she’s been sleeping a lot but she was very lucky. I’d just like to warn others and make fishermen more aware.”

Michael Yates, of Sheppey Angling Club, which hosts the Kent Classic fishing contest, said: “If the hook and line was put in the bin, there’s not really a lot anyone can do. Maybe the council needs to be emptying the bins a bit sooner.

“We have been trying for 20 years to encourage anglers to put rubbish in the bin. We even hand out bags.

“There’s usually a couple of people that have a walk along after the event and make sure everything’s cleared up.

“I’d like to remind the dog owners to be a little more responsible. There are very few anglers that would leave rubbish behind, the same as those few dog owners leaving mess behind. So I’d say, it’s a little bit of consideration both ways.”

The competition has been running for about 30 years.

Another dog, Mini, also had a near miss on The Leas.

Michael Kemp had to cut a 2in hook out of her tongue after she tried to eat the bait attached to it.

He said: “I’m sure most fishermen are responsible, taking their debris home with them and disposing of it in a responsible manner. But some are irresponsible and dangerous.”

It happened last Monday and took 10 minutes and the help of wire cutters to free the hook.

He said: “If I fail to pick up my dog’s mess it is unlikely that anyone dies, but it is unpleasant, nasty and antisocial. I get that.

“But failing to pick up dangerous hooks where any dog, wildlife or child could end up seriously injured or worse is more than antisocial.”