RSPCA officers have discovered nine dead puppies dumped in a roadside ditch.
The animals were believed to be a mix of terrier and collie breeds and aged between six and eight weeks old.
Warning: Images below show the remains of the dead puppies in a roadside ditch
They were found next to a road near St Albans, Hertfordshire.
RPSCA animal collection officer Kate Wright said it was thought they had been living in their own urine as their pawpads were red raw.
"We had reports of collapsed puppies in a ditch and I rushed over to the site and there they were," she said.
"There had been no effort to cover them up. They were obviously already dead, and had been dead for a day or two."
Officers found this ditch was regularly used to dump dead puppies, as other dog corpses were found nearby
Ms Wright added: "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."
It is not known how these puppies died but Ms Wright suggested they could have come from an illegal "puppy farm".
RSPCA canine focus officer Rachel Smith, who is investigating, said: "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.”
In January, RSPCA staff were called to the same area after the bodies of puppies were found inside a suitcase which was taken away by police.
