Two police dogs die in hot vehicle

Two police dogs have died after being left inside a vehicle parked outside Nottinghamshire police headquarters on one of the hottest days of the year.

The force said the German shepherds were discovered at Sherwood Lodge headquarters in Arnold on Tuesday and that the deaths were reported to the RSPCA.

They have also been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

"This is a tragic incident and we value the important work our police dogs carry out on a daily basis," said Assistant Chief Constable Peter Davies.

A vet is carrying out post-mortems to establish how the animals died. Dehydration is likely to have been a significant factor.

The Met Office has raised its heatwave alert in parts of England to Level 3 for the first time in three years as temperatures climb above 30 C.