POLICE and the RSPCA have raided a house near Chippenham to rescue dogs that have allegedly been cruelly treated.

Officers used a search warrant to gain entry into Oak Tree Farm in Stanton Lane, Kington St Michael, shortly before 5pm on Wednesday.

A number of RSPCA vans pulled up outside the property to take the dogs away from the premises.

Early reports indicate that the dogs had been kept in squalid conditions.

Before the police raid, special animal cruelty officers had been called in to investigate the case.

The farm is on a residential gypsy site and the owners had applied for planning permission earlier this year to use the land to breed and kennel dogs.