PUPPY farms must be reported to stop the illegal trade, says Basildon Council.

Councillors raised concerns about steps being taken to stop people selling animals illegally after two recent high-profile incidents in the borough.

More than 40 dogs were seized during a raid on a property in Wickford this month.

But council officers warned the authority only has a limited ability to monitor activity itself.

Tony Hedley, councillor responsible for community safety, said: “There has been some adverse publicity recently in the borough over puppy farming.

“Whilst I note the RSPCA’s action in discouraging that, is there more we can do to tackle these illegal puppy farms?”

In response, council commissioning director Dawn French said: “Puppy farms are incredibly difficult issues.

“As a council, we advise the public to see the mother of the puppies and the other puppies in situ, because that means they haven’t been shipped over from abroad at too young an age. The route we want the public to take is to follow up references and get some idea of who they are buying from.

“We work closely with the RSPCA and police and look into licencing of dog breeding.

“We do lots of work joining up the dots, but it is incredibly difficult and the main route of preventing puppy farm breeding is by purchasers asking to see the mother first.”

Basildon Council’s amended animal welfare charter was approved at a cabinet meeting on Thursday evening.

On June 9, the RSPCA seized 42 dogs from an address in Wickford in a joint operation with police. The dogs, mostly young puppies, were seized under the Animal Welfare Act.

Also this month, the RSPCA confirmed it was investigating claims underweight and ill dogs were being sold by a business in Crays Hill.

Stacey Hayward, 33, who operates Oak Tree Puppies and Wickford Pets, denies any wrongdoing after an online petition calling for her business to be closed down was signed by more than 3,500 people.