Police smash car windows to free dogs trapped inside in 33C heat

Yahoo UK Staff
Updated
Police broke into a car in Leeds to save a dog trapped inside while its owner went shopping at Sainsbury's. (West Yorkshire Police)
Police broke into a car in Leeds to save a dog trapped inside while its owner went shopping at Sainsbury's. (West Yorkshire Police)

Police were forced to smash two car windows to save dogs trapped inside vehicles on the hottest day of the year so far.

In one incident West Yorkshire Police said they shattered the front window of a car after the owner of a dog went shopping inside a Sainsbury’s in Leeds on Wednesday.

They had left the dog inside the vehicle with the window only slightly ajar - despite temperatures of 33C.

In a separate incident in Plymouth, police smashed the window of a car to rescue a pug after the public called for them to help save it from the searing heat.

Officers also smashed a car window in Plymouth to save a dog which had been abandoned for two hours. (SWNS)
Officers also smashed a car window in Plymouth to save a dog which had been abandoned for two hours. (SWNS)

Officers said it had been abandoned by its owners for two hours after they found a parking ticket with a timestamp on the car’s windscreen.

After eventually setting it free one policeman took a picture of the dog clinging to his colleague’s leg.

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A police spokesman tweeted: ‘He was very happy to be set free!’

The dog’s owners, however, ‘weren’t happy with us because their window was put in’.

Police have now warned dog owners not to leave pets in hot vehicles during this week's record-breaking heatwave.

Sgt Ian Micklethwaite, from West Yorkshire Police, said: ‘In the space of less than 10 minutes the dog was starting to pant/overheat.

The dog appeared to hug the leg of an officer after police smashed the window. (SWNS)
The dog appeared to hug the leg of an officer after police smashed the window. (SWNS)

‘Just don’t do it,’ he added.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman also told The Sun: ‘Many people still believe that it's OK to leave a dog in a car on a warm day if the windows are left open or they're parked in the shade, but the truth is, it's still a very dangerous situation for the dog.

‘A car can become as hot as an oven very quickly, even when it doesn't feel that warm.

‘When it's 22 degrees, in a car it can reach an unbearable 47 degrees within the hour.’

The UK is currently experiencing record-breaking temperatures as the hottest July day ever recorded was logged on Thursday
The UK is currently experiencing record-breaking temperatures as the hottest July day ever recorded was logged on Thursday