ILLEGAL dog fighting is barbaric and inhumane.

It is also a form of torture as the animals are left with horrific injuries and have to suffer their entire lives.

The incident in an Accrington park has highlighted how cruel it is.

A couple walking their own dogs found the body of a dead Staffordshire Pitbull-type cross floating in the pond.

The water was red with blood and the 18-month-old dog's body was covered in puncture wounds and cuts.

For someone to just dump its body in the pool and let it drown shows a complete lack of compassion or any sense of decency.

It is even more worrying that whoever staged this dog fight did so in a public park.

It does not bear thinking about what would have happened if one of these dogs had got hold of a child.

The discovery of the dead dog comes as animal charities report a big increase in the number of violent dog-on-dog attacks.

They say responsible dog owners are being forced to walk their pets at night because of the fear of other dogs attacking them during the day.

It is time for a major crackdown on this crime as it does not have any place in a modern society.