Harrowing photos of the bodies of puppies littering a verge by the side of a road have been released by the RSPCA.

The pictures show the bodies of nine pups dumped in the undergrowth and alongside the rubbish on a verge in Hogg End Lane.

A member of the public spotted the bodies in a ditch on Saturday 27 February.

The pups – thought to be a mix of terriers and collie-types – are believed to be between six and eight-weeks-old.

RSPCA animal collection officer Kate Wright responded to the call and went to the location.

She said: “We had reports of collapsed puppies in a ditch and I rushed over to the site and there they were. There had been no effort to cover them up.

“They were obviously already dead, and had been dead for a day or two.

“They were all covered in sawdust and some looked skinny. The little pads on their paws were red raw like they’d been living in urine. They absolutely stank.

“I had a look around the area and, in the same ditch, I found decomposed corpses, bones and fur.

"I realised the horror that this ditch is obviously used on a regular basis – it was heartbreaking.

“I found the remains of at least three other dogs as well as more bones. There were different stages of decomposed bodies and most of them were very old.

“It was grim, really awful. It really upset me. It makes you wonder what kind of life they had before.”

RSPCA canine focus officer Rachel Smith, who is investigating, added: “I’d say this lane is used regularly for dumping the bodies of dead dogs. We’ve had a steady influx of calls over recent months.”

ACO Wright added: “There was nothing to suggest how these puppies had died. My immediate thought was that they had come from some sort of puppy farm.”

The distressing photos come as the RSPCA campaigns for the introduction of new legislation to better protect dogs and puppies being bred for sale.