The owner of two dogs found minutes from death in a hot car could face animal cruelty charges.

The spaniels were rescued by police after they were spotted in a distressed state in a sealed 4x4 in Wimbledon Village last week.

An officer from the Met’s dog unit eventually smashed the window of the car to rescue the animals, cutting himself in the process.

A vet who treated the pair later said one of the animals was only 10 minutes from death when he was plucked from the vehicle.

A parking ticket left on the car, a black Lexus, showed it had been left at the spot on Church Road for more than two hours last Tuesday.

Passersby and staff from local businesses used water to cool the dogs down after their rescue, until they were treated by vets from the Stone Lion practice.

Staff at the nearby Loch Fyne fishmongers also brought ice to the scene to try and revive the animals.

Edward Foley, dog owner and director of Winkworth Estate Agents, poured water over the animals as he waited for help to arrive.

He said the crowd had been frantic in their efforts to try and save the spaniels.

“Everyone did their bit,” he said.

A woman - thought to be the car owner’s daughter - eventually arrived to pick up the dogs, and was interviewed by the police.

Mr Foley said a couple of days after the rescue, a woman left her dog in a parked car with its windows up in the same street while she went for a cup of coffee nearby.

She reportedly became abusive when passersby politely reminded her that this could be harmful to the animal.

A spokesman for the RSPCA later said the owner of the dogs, who has not been named, would be interviewed with the view to a possible prosecution.

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