Firefighters rescue cockerpoo left locked in shopping centre car park for more than hour in sweltering heat
‘Dogs die in hot cars’ is a regular warning in the summer.
But it appeared to have gone unheeded in one car park, where firefighters had to rescue a dog that had been left locked in a car on one of the hottest days of the year.
The fire brigade was called after a member of the public spotted cockerpoo Bertie locked in the car on the top floor of a mutli-storey car park on Friday.
They tried to find the owner through an announcement over the tannoy at the nearby shopping centre in Saffron Walden, Essex, but when they got no response they broke a window to get him to safety.
The fire service said they think the the Cockerpoo, called Bertie, had been left in the car for more than an hour.
Sharing pictures of Bertie and the car on the Saffron Walden Fire Station Facebook page, they wrote: “Today we rescued a Cokerpoo Dog called Bertie from the top deck of Waitrose multi story park car in SW by breaking a window to release him.
“The dog was in distress due to the intense heat within a parked car in direct sunlight with no open windows.
“Please always keep your pets welfare and safety in mind particularly during this hot spell.”
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It comes just a week after a toddler was rescued from another car park in the area after being left alone for more than an hour in scorching temperatures.
The Facebook post added: “With the recent high profile incident in Saffron Walden we are surprised the message is still not getting through when it comes to leaving children and pets in hot vehicles.
“Thankfully Bertie survived to tell the tale! We thank Waitrose staff for their support with trying to help locate the owner and for providing much needed water for Bertie. The incident has been reported to Essex Police.”
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters were called to a multi-storey car park on Friday after a member of the public noticed a dog had been locked in a car and left unattended.
“On arrival crews confirmed the animal was alone and distressed in the vehicle, in direct sunlight on the top floor of the car park, with no windows open or ventilation,” a statement said.
“Firefighters initially attempted to locate the owner using a nearby shopping tannoy system, but after receiving no response instead worked to rescue the animal.
“The dog was released by 12.24pm. We believe it had been left in the car for more than an hour.”
In the previous incident, an 18-month-old boy was left inside a 4x4 in a car park in Saffron Walden when temperatures reached up to 25C.
A passerby at a nearby fun day heard the boy screaming from inside the locked vehicle and raised the alarm.
