A COUPLE were being quizzed tonight after a dead bull terrier was found dead on the banks of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in Burnley.

And when police raided an end-terrace property in Saxon Street, Daneshouse, they discovered a near-starving dog, also a bull terrier.

The raid also uncovered a number of reptiles, mainly small lizards and snakes, which were found in takeaway cartons.

An investigation was launched by neighbourhood police in Daneshouse after the discovery of the first dog over the weekend, after a tip-off was received from a member of the public.

Following a thorough search of the property, off Monk Hall Road, police arrested a couple in their 20s on suspicion of causing unnecessary suffering to animals.

An electronic monitoring device - a microchip implanted in the dead dog - has proved to be a key lead in the inquiry so far.

PC Paul Broom, one of the officers on the raid, said: “Because the dog was microchipped we were able to trace it back to this property.”

Inspector Dave Anforth, of the RSPCA, said that the animal charity and police launched an investigation when the first dog was found on the canal bank, yesterday.

The second dog was discovered after police and RSPCA officers entered the Daneshouse property just after 10am.

The dog, said to be in an emaciated state, was found in an upstairs room and has now been taken away by the animal welfare charity to be cared for at one of their rescue centres.

Sgt Phil Carter, of Burnley police, said that a 26-year-old man and 23-year-old woman were to be questioned about animal cruelty.

The RSPCA has previously run campaigns urging pet owners to get their dogs or cats microchipped. The chips can often contain the names and addresses of the animal’s owners.