Dodgy dog dealers face paying back up to £500k each

diseases such as parvovirus as they may not have been vaccinated appropriately.

“Many fall sick, leaving the new owners traumatised at the loss of their new puppy or faced with huge vet bills.

“ISPCA are working with our colleagues across the UK and other agencies, including police, trading standards, HMRC and ferry operators, to identify and disrupt this criminal activity and to bring those involved to justice.”

The HMRC refused to discuss any individual case but a spokesman confirmed that the crackdown is under way.

He said: “Our research suggests that this is a multi-million-pound industry where some unscrupulous individuals involved in both the breeding and selling of puppies are cheating and not paying their taxes. Dogs are basically being used as a commodity and fetch considerable sums of money on the illicit market.

“We know that most breeders and sellers are honest and operate above board – and these people have nothing to worry about.

“But those who cheat the system can expect to come under scrutiny from HMRC. Everyone should pay the tax they owe. ”