The body of a puppy with a carrier bag wrapped around its head has been discovered floating in Liden Lagoon.

The dog, thought to be a four-month-old male Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy, was found underneath a fishing platform by an angler who noticed a foul smell.

The RSPCA has launched an investigation and is appealing for anyone who might know who the tan-coloured dog belonged to or how it died to contact them.

Alan Button, secretary of Liden Angling Club, said the grim discovery was made on Sunday, April 25 during an angling tournament.

“The angler got to his peg and smelt something funny and saw a tail sticking out of the water and pulled the dog out,” he said.

“It smelt horrendous. I called the RSPCA and I think someone else did too.

“I think whoever did it is very callous.

“I don’t know whether they put the carrier bag over it to stop it biting or hold it down or what, but it wasn’t very nice.

“I’ve been in the angling club for years and this is the first time we’ve seen anything like this.”

The RSPCA immediately sent an inspector out to the site and took the dog’s body away for a vetinary examination.

Jo Barr, spokesman for the RSPCA, said: “The examination showed it had injuries including a broken leg and injuries to its head prior to going into the water.”

She said they were keeping an open mind as to how the dog died and wanted to hear from anyone who could help them find out.

“The best case scenario is that it died of natural causes and the person responsible for it didn’t know what to do with the body and dumped it in an inappropriate way.

“In the worst case scenario we are talking about someone deliberately inflicting injuries resulting in death and dumping it into the water.

“We don’t know why the carrier bag was put over its head but it could be to ‘finish it off’ after the blows to the body and suffocate it.”

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the RSPCA’s cruelty and information line on 0300 1234 999 and leave a message for Inspector Miranda Albinson.