A dog walker was left horrified after spotting menacing pieces of ham laced with nails and metal hooks scattered on a street.
Andy Rossy, who made the worrying find in the town of Denton, near Manchester, on Wednesday afternoon, is now warning other pet owners to be careful.
Mr Rossy told the Manchester Evening News he was walking his dog George along Edward Street, when he noticed his pet sniffing something that "didn't look right".
He shouted when George picked up the meat as he stooped down for a closer look - and when the dog thankfully let go, was shocked to see what fell to the ground.
"I was just walking my dog along Edward Street and noticed he was sniffing something that didn't look right," he said.
"When I got closer to George he had put the meat in his mouth and I shouted at him to let go.
"When he did I noticed there was nails and hooks on it - luckily enough he had not swallowed it."
After picking up all the pieces of ham he could see, Mr Rossy then took to social media to warn other dog owners to be vigilant, and has also reported the incident to police.
"Please beware if you're walking your dog around Edward Street in Denton, some idiots are putting nails and hooks in slices of meat for your dogs to eat," he wrote.
"I've just found these while walking my dog. Please be careful folks."
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police has confirmed it is aware of the incident.
