Five Labrador puppies have been found dead in a ditch in Aldenham.

A member of the public who was walking down Pegmire Lane, Aldenham, found the bodies of four puppies on Wednesday May 25.

The RSPCA were contacted and came to investigate where a further body was found. All the Labradors were different colours and it is thought they may have been from different litters.

RSPCA deputy chief inspector Melanie Fisher said: “Turning up in the middle of the night to find this graveyard of puppies sent shivers down my spine.

“The small pups were just completely lifeless, scrawny and absolutely stank of urine which tells me that they are unlikely to have come from a clean living environment.

“They were barely eight weeks old and it truly breaks my heart to think of what they must have been through only to then end up in a ditch like this, with their little lives cut unnecessarily short.”

According to Inspector Fisher the body of a Border Collie puppy was also found dead and dumped in the same spot a few weeks ago.

The RSPCA are asking for any information that could help with this investigation but Inspector Fisher is concerned these incidents are due to profit-breeding of the puppy trade.

She said: “There is a danger that we may have potentially unearthed some kind of puppy graveyard – a place where irresponsible breeders dump unwanted puppies when they get sick, die or are surplus to requirements in spots such as this where I assume they hope nobody will ever find them.

“However they have been found and we are now looking to get to the bottom of this cold and callous act.

“The puppy trade is a big business with dealers often getting rich and leaving a devastating trail of sick and dead puppies behind them – lives like those of these poor souls are just expendable they are treated as commodities.”

In February, the bodies of 12 puppies were found in Hogg End Lane, in St Albans, and prompted an operation to tackle the puppy trade across south west Hertfordshire.

The RSPCA is working to eradicate the puppy trade in the UK and beyond and is calling on the government to introduce mandatory licensing for anyone selling puppies in England.