Puppy deaths after 44 crammed into van in Cheltenham

A man who travelled with 44 puppies crammed in cages inside a van has been banned from owning animals.

Police were alerted when the pups were seen being moved between two vans in Cheltenham last August. Twenty have since died.

The beagles, border collies and chihuahua crosses were aged between five and eight weeks old.

Patrick Stokes, 25, of West Rainton, near Durham, pleaded guilty to not ensuring the needs of the puppies.

Following a tip-off from Gloucestershire Police, the van was stopped by officers on the M6 where the malnourished puppies were discovered on board. They were then taken for emergency veterinary care.

"These puppies were all in extremely poor health and sadly a lot of them were not able to be saved after their unnecessary suffering," said Det Ch Insp Claire Nutland.

"We pursued welfare offences in this case because the conditions in the van were unacceptable and clearly not the right way to transport puppies, which need constant support and care."

Stokes was disqualified from owning, keeping, transporting or arranging the transportation of dogs for two years.

He was also sentenced to a 12-month community order to undertake 100 hours unpaid work and to pay court costs and a victim surcharge.