THREE dead dogs were thrown over a garden fence in plastic bags yesterday, a shocked resident has claimed.

Brian Bateman, 67, was about to leave his home in Hovefields Avenue, Wickford, at around 2pm when he claims he found two plastic bags near his fence, containing the bodies of three dead dogs.

The dogs, which Brian believes are not much older than a week, are of a Jack Russell-type breed.

Both Essex Police and the RSPCA have been made aware of the issue.

It follows a similar incident last year when a resident in Hovefields Avenue, close to the A127, found a dead dog dumped in their garden.

Brian said: “It is heart-breaking, and it is disgusting, this is something that must be looked into and it just isn’t right, this is something that must be looked into.

“I am 67, I am in my old age and there is nothing I can really do, something has got to be done.”

He added: “I went out for a walk, and I always check my fencing, there was a white bag, and it ran through my mind what happened last year, lo and behold, it was caught on the brambles and there was two pups and a bag on the floor, also with a pup.

“Whoever has done it, I genuinely do not know who has done it, it has happened before and it is not right.”

A neighbour of Brian’s, Jenny Mace, is equally heartbroken and upset by the situation.

Jenny said: “It is absolutely awful; I am so upset.

“We have lived here for 25 years, and we have had some horror stories.

“What makes someone do that, to do that, the shock is just horrific.

“I do not understand, it is absolutely evil, I am horrified and absolutely disgusted by that this can happen, and it isn’t the first time this has happened.”

Essex Police and the RSPCA have been contacted for comment.