Council warned of upset dogs at site of 41 deaths

Concerns about the sound of "upset" dogs at a rescue centre where 41 animals died were not always correctly responded to, a report found.

Neighbours warned Basildon Council of dogs in potential distress at Save A Paw in Crays Hill, near Billericay in Essex, between 2023 and it being raided in 2025.

A council report revealed its officers should have told the complainants to contact the RSPCA, but they failed to do so on multiple occasions.

The Labour-led authority said it was limited to what action it could take as rescue centres were not a licensable activity it could regulate.

Oaveed Rahman, who ran the centre in Hope Road, was jailed for five years at Basildon Crown Court on Friday.

The 26-year-old admitted causing unnecessary suffering to 21 dogs and a cat, and 11 offences of fraud by false representation.

It followed police raiding his property in May, where they found animals both dead and alive in squalid conditions.

In light of the discovery, Basildon Council launched an internal inquiry into how much it knew of Save A Paw. The findings were published on Wednesday.

The report revealed there were 20 complaints about Save A Paw in the two years leading up to the raid, including about barking, illegal breeding, bonfires and "dogs being upset".

All concerns were investigated by the council and the site was visited on multiple occasions, but there was no evidence of an activity taking place that was licensable by the council - according to the report.

This meant officers could not enter the property under animal welfare regulations, the council said.

However, it highlighted that people who complained about dogs sounding upset were not always told to contact the RSPCA, as per council policy.

The authority was tipped off about "criminal activity" at Save A Paw in April, the report said, leading to it passing on the information to police.

Aidan McGurran, cabinet member for environment and leisure, said: "This has been one of the most distressing cases our borough has ever seen.

"The discovery at Hope Road shocked our community, and it is right that we have taken the time to look carefully and transparently at our own actions."

He insisted officers were "operating within the limits of the law".

The council has written to the government urging it to make rescue and rehoming centres a licensable activity, thus allowing for earlier intervention.

McGurran added: "No community should ever face a situation like this again."

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