A retired taxidermist was horrified when he discovered a large dead dog stuffed in a black sack just feet from a recreation ground.

Bill Cave said he had noticed a smell of “rotten meat” for a week as he gave his Labrador its twice-daily walk on the recreation ground in Manor Lane, Borstal.

“I had smelt this awful stench for a week whilst walking my dog,” the 74-year-old said. “I’ve worked on a farm and I thought it smelled like really rotten meat.”

The dog lover, who lives in Borstal, said he went to explore where the smell was coming from and spotted a large black sack stuffed under the bushes.

“It was about 4ft from where the kids play football,” he said. “It was really swollen and full and absolutely crawling with maggots.”

Bill feared it could be a dead body and called the police.

“I couldn’t believe how quickly they came,” he said. “It was within half an hour.”

“The policeman was gagging when he opened it. It really was a horrible, horrible smell...”

The officers ripped the bag open with a knife and discovered a large brown dog inside.

“The policeman was gagging when he opened it,” Bill said. “It really was a horrible, horrible smell.”

“It was a really big animal,” Bill said. “Larger than my Labrador. It must have been a bull mastif or an American bulldog.”

He said the body was in such a bad condition that it could not be taken away without protective gear, so was left where it was.

Bill said he was worried people could come across. “It’s quite exposed,” he said.

A police spokesman said: “We were called at 7.46am on Tuesday after a member of public found a suspicious looking bag in Manor Lane, Borstal.

“Upon inspection it was established the bag contained a deceased animal and the local authority has been informed for disposal.”