Two police dogs die in hot vehicle

LONDON (Reuters) - Two police dogs have died after being left by a handler inside a private vehicle parked outside Nottinghamshire police headquarters on one of the hottest days of the year.

The force said the German shepherds were discovered at Sherwood Lodge headquarters in Arnold on Tuesday and that the deaths were reported to the RSPCA.

They have also been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission who subsequently said it was a matter for the force in question to deal with.

A spokeswoman for Nottinghamshire police said the dogs' names were not being released to the public because they would identify the officer concerned who was on duty at the time.

He is said to be distraught over the deaths.

"This is a tragic incident and we value the important work our police dogs carry out on a daily basis," said Assistant Chief Constable Peter Davies.

A vet is carrying out post-mortems to establish how the animals died. Dehydration is likely to have been a significant factor.

The police dog handler in question will be interviewed by RSPCA inspector Simon Parker next week. He told the BBC the file would be submitted for consideration which could end up in a prosecution.

Television pictures showed officers laying wreaths of flowers outside the headquarters and saluting.

The Met Office has raised its heatwave alert in parts of England to Level 3 for the first time in three years as temperatures climb above 30 C.

(Reporting by Stefano Ambrogi; Editing by Steve Addison)