AN ANIMAL rescue charity has criticised Gwent Police for failing to take action over a video of a driver caught walking two dogs from a moving car.

Greyhound Rescue Wales has warned that the two lurchers could have been seriously hurt and the driver should have been prosecuted for animal cruelty.

A Gwent Police spokesman responded to his concerns by saying there was no law against it, unless the person was on a motorway, and it would be a matter for the RSPCA to investigate.

The video, published on the South Wales Argus website on Thursday, was taken by Welsh TV presenter Lee Dainton from the cult TV programme 'Dirty Sanchez' near his hometown of Pontypool.

Greyhound Rescue Wales vice chair Jon Trew said: “Many of the viewers thought the video was humorous, an example of a lazy dog owner.

"However we know that this practice is extremely dangerous, both for dogs and for the general public.

"Forcing dogs to run on a lead while attached to a moving vehicle is a something that we have seen in Spain. Spanish greyhounds (called galgos) are forced to run for miles while attached to cars and trucks.

"If they fall over they end up being dragged along."

He added: "We are extremely concerned to see this appalling training technique now being used in Wales. If the dog is injured or hurt, it cannot stop and is forced to run on and on while in pain.

"This barbaric technique is also a hazard to the public. A driver cannot possibly be in control of his car if he has one hand stuck out the window attached to a lead linked to two running dogs.

"Anyone who has walked more than one dog at a time knows they bump into one another, their leads get tangled and other mishaps happen.

"If they are attached to a car, these mishaps can become fatal.

"We contacted the RSPCA this morning and their advice was to contact the police.

"They believed that it was easier to get a prosecution for dangerous driving rather than go down the animal cruelty route. We agreed but were shocked to receive an email from Gwent Police saying they did not believe it was against the law. We will be writing to the Gwent Police Commissioner and asking him to investigate."