Local police found 30 dead dogs in a freezer at an address in Hjørring, Jutland after showing up to confiscate living dogs from the premises, according to Nordjyske Stiftstidende newspaper.

The police had turned up at the address to retrieve dogs that the owner was illegally keeping on his property only to find five adult dogs and 25 puppies stuffed in the freezer. Police believe the frozen dogs are fox terriers.

“We found a number of dead dogs in a large freezer. There were adults, younger dogs and puppies,” Søren Bach, the vice police commissioner in Hjørring, told Nordjyske Stiftstidende.

The local police have been dealing with the man for three years since neighbours filed complaints about constant barking.

The 66-year-old dog owner has previously been convicted of breaking the nation's dog laws due to the barking and his failure to conform to the rules concerning the number of dogs allowed on a residential premise. In April, authorities deemed the man unfit to have dogs on his property.

When police learned that the man was violating the ban, they searched his property and found the dead dogs.

“It is unusual to keep so many dogs in a freezer, so we need to investigate, via an autopsy, how the dogs have been put down,” Bach said.

Aside from the macabre dog discovery, police also confiscated four live dogs, four sabres and bayonets.