A popular Worcester vets practice is expanding its premises to allow for 24/7 emergency care.

Severn Veterinary Centre has secured a £650,000 investment to expand their existing site on Berkeley Way in Warndon.

The remodelling work at the Berkeley House site will include two new consulting rooms, two more operating theatres, an extended waiting room with segregation for dogs and cats, air conditioning throughout the clinical areas of the practice, and improved isolation facilities for pets.

The investment also means the practice will be able to bring in a new CT scanner.

The practice says it needs more space to cater for the work the team carries out there, particularly in more specialist areas like orthopaedics where demand is growing as animals live longer.

Severn Veterinary Centre was set up in 1999 by husband and wife team Jock and Caroline Queen.

Mr Queen said: “The renovation of Berkeley House is highly anticipated and will reflect the varied nature of the work our team carries out at the site.

“Having a CT scanner will be a huge boost for the vets and nurses in the practice as it will enable more investigation and enhanced diagnostic abilities."

He added that the improved facilities would also allow the practice to offer more extensive soft tissue services.

The work at Berkeley House is expected to be complete in early spring 2019, with Vets Now, a service providing emergency care for pet owners, operating from April 2019.

Figures from PFMA show there are an estimated 51 million pets of all types across the UK, with around 45% of households having at least one. The number of pets has declined in the last five years from a 2013 peak of 71 million.