Noel Fitzpatrick, star of Channel 4’s The Supervet, has trapped himself in a cage to highlight the conditions some farmed puppies are kept in.

The Irish TV presenter and veterinary surgeon staged the stunt ahead of his new series of Animal Rescue Live, which explores the “silent crisis” in the puppy trade.

Some commercial dog breeding facilities, dubbed puppy farms, are poorly lit and cramped, and some animals die from infection and genetic deformities, Fitzpatrick said.

Neglected

To draw attention to the hot and confined conditions some puppies are transported in, Fitzpatrick, 51, sat inside a cage in the back of a moving van before posing for a picture.

He said: “There is a silent crisis happening right under our noses – a dark secret in the otherwise joyful world of dogs.

“Tens of thousands of puppies are farmed and transported across the UK to be sold to unknowing families. Too young, too weak, too sick. They are woefully neglected and afraid.

Breeders

“No one should be brought into the world in this way, without love and without certainty, with more care for the profit and not the pup. I want to show everyone this terrible journey from their eyes, travelling and experiencing the conditions and fears a young puppy would face.

“The more people know about this reality, the more we can work together to stop puppy farming forever.”

It comes after former environment secretary Michael Gove presented a new law to Parliament in May aimed at cracking down on puppy farms.

Known as Lucy’s Law, it will ban the sale of puppies and kittens from third parties from spring 2020, making buyers deal with breeders directly. Animal Rescue Live airs on Channel 4 in August.

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Alex Green is the PA entertainment reporter.