Shocking pictures show 18 dogs kept in atrocious conditions by banned owner

These photos show the shocking conditions that 18 dogs were being held in by their owners – who were already banned from keeping them.

Police in Lutterworth, Leicestershire, stopped a van on Tuesday that had caught their attention, with the driver “reluctantly” pulling over to the side of the road for officers.

A check inside the van found a group of malnourished dogs in filthy, smelly and cramped conditions – and police discovered that the driver had an active Animal Disqualification Order preventing them from keeping dogs until 2025.

The driver was arrested and taken into custody, Leicestershire and Rutland Rural Policing Team wrote on Facebook.

After two of the dogs in the front were safely removed from the vehicle, officers drove the van off the main road so the remaining dogs could be removed.

The team, who have over 40 years policing experience collectively, said that the incident “was probably the worst conditions they’d ever seen dogs kept in”.

They wrote on Facebook: “The pictures really don’t do this justice and the stench was eye-watering.

“The dogs had no food or water until intervention and were in a staggeringly poor state.”

The dogs were taken to a vets to be checked and cared for while the RSPCA investigates.

Yahoo News UK has contacted the RSPCA for a comment.