CHESHIRE is sixth in the country for the number of calls to the RSPCA about puppy farms according to latest statistics.

And vets in Warrington say they have seen an increasing number of cases in the last year with some owners duped into paying for a pedigree pup and getting a cross breed instead.

So far this year animal welfare charity RSPCA has received 3,232 calls - a 122 per cent increase from five years ago.

The figures mean on average the cause has received more than one call about puppy farms and dealers every three hours with Cheshire racking up 123 calls in the last 12 months.

A spokesman for Vets4Pets based on Riverside Retail Park added: "We do actively try and stop owners from getting pets from puppy farms but often when we see them they have already been purchased.

"We do see quite a few cases and most of the time the breed of the dog is questionable."

David Bowles, RSPCA assistant director of public affairs, said as the problem grows the need to bring in regulations surrounding the sale of puppies is all the more urgent.

He added: “For dealers - these puppies are easy money - we believe they buy them in from Ireland and the continent for around £100 and then sell them on the internet for many hundreds, even thousands of pounds.

"Often the puppies are too young to be away from their mothers and are sick when they are loaded onto vans, before travelling hundreds of miles which is likely to be incredibly stressful and could exacerbate any disease they already have.

“These people are gambling with the lives of not just these puppies - but the dogs they are bred from too and they are playing with the emotions of people and families who take them on as pets.

“It is clear the present legislation is not working and that this sickening trade needs to be stopped.”

The charity is appealing for tougher regulations around the sale of puppies including licensing anyone who sells a puppy to ensure traceability.

Mr Bowles added: “Puppy trafficking is big business and dealers are getting rich from duping members of the public and often leaving a trail of sick and dead puppies behind them, not to mention the heartache of families that have bought puppies.

“It is far too easy to sell puppies and current laws are failing puppies and their parents."

Visit rspca.org.uk/scrapthepuppytrade.