THREE puppies which were illegally imported have been placed in quarantine to ensure they don’t pose a risk to the public.

The dogs – a chihuahua, Yorkshire terrier and Maltese terrier which had been imported on the black market and ended up in private homes in Gloucestershire – are now in solitary confinement in Bristol.

Head of trading standards at Gloucestershire County Council, Andy Hermiston, said: “Typically, illegally imported dogs form part of a black market where making money is put above the welfare of the animal.

“Of the three dogs taken into possession by our officers, one came from Poland where rabies is commonplace amongst the wildlife.”