A dead Bully-type dog was sadly discovered dumped in a “horrendous” pile of fly-tipped rubbish at the weekend in Great Wakering.
Local residents were very distressed to find the “decomposing” dog on Mucking Hall Road.
One local resident Jo Palmer said: “I was shocked and upset it was still there on my evening trip, uncovered 8/9 hours later. It was rotting, the smell was horrendous. A lovely lady and myself then covered it with a towel.”
She added: “I would say the dog was definitely put there after death, with some trash chucked next to it.”
Rochford Council arranged for its contractors to visit the location and remove the dog.
Councillor Mike Steptoe said: “I would like to thank all council officers and councillors that have assisted in dealing with this very sad situation. Several residents have passed me information as to possible perpetrators which I will pass on to the right people.”
There have been multiple fly tips reported on Mucking Hall Road near Barling recently, leading to calls for hidden cameras to be installed.
Carly Emma added: “It seems even worse than normal at the moment. We drive down Southend Road every day and each time there seems to be something new dumped. Like today there was tyres all the way along!”
If you have any information about the deceased dog, you can contact Essex Police on 101 quoting incident number 332 of 24 August.
Mucking Hall Road is a narrow country lane, adjacent to farming fields and The Barling Magna Wildlife Reserve which is said to be a “hidden gem”.