How can the UK be an animal loving nation when there are dead horses being dumped in Derbyshire is happening 'all over the countryside?

Four dead horses have been dumped in Derbyshire over the past three months, with a leading campaigner claiming the crimes were just the 'tip of the iceberg', and a policing chief saying the activities were going on 'all over the countryside'.

Help for Horses, a charity which works throughout the Midlands, said two animals have been left in a field close to Little Eaton roundabout, while another was found in Shirebrook in November.

According to the group, criminal gangs are breeding horses which have not been microchipped, and do not have passports. By law, all horses now need to be microchipped, and owners can be fined £5,000 if horses are found without the proper authentication.

The group said: "Three more dead horses have been dumped in a field off Little Eaton roundabout, in Derbyshire. Despite the horse passport regulations from 2009 stating all horses born from that point onwards must be microchipped, this has not been enforced. Until we have traceability of these horses, this situation and the welfare of the horse in this country will never improve."