A Swadlincote shopper has blasted "incompetent" pet owners after she called police to two dogs panting for air after being locked in a hot car in stifling 23C heat.

Jane Fearn said she was shopping at her local Aldi in the Pipeworks at 7pm on Saturday, June 2 when she noticed the dogs in "distress" and "panting trying to get to air" as temperatures soared outside.

Aldi staff asked 45-year-old Jane whether the car was hers, and when she said no, they took the decision to ring the police.

Mother-of-four Jane said: "I took a photo so if we had to break the window we had proof.

"If no-one had walked past the owner could have gone back to two dead baked dogs.

Jane noticed the dogs trapped in the car
Jane noticed the dogs trapped in the car

"While the police were there the owner came out of Aldi with their shopping and told police he had been gone for five minutes but it was 20.

"It was 23.5 degrees, I was angry, how can you leave a dog in that heat?

"The thing that gets me is that if you're going to go shopping, why take your dogs with you? There are so many warnings about leaving animals in cars without windows down.

"You wouldn't leave a baby so why leave a dog?"

Boarding kennel worker Jane is now calling for others to be cautious when taking their dogs on a shopping trip during hot weather.

She said: "We do see it quite a lot. People are imcompetent. It winds me up when I see them in the car with no windows down.

"If the temperature is hot, don't take the dog. At least you know it's going to be alive."

Derbyshire police confirmed that officers attended the Aldi car park and gave the owner advice about care of dogs in hot cars. No further action was taken.