Celebrities including Simon Cowell, Dame Dame Olivia Newton-John, Ellie Goulding, and Shirley Ballas are supporting The Daily Mirror's Ban Puppy Imports campaign, calling for the import age of overseas puppies to rise from 11 weeks to 26 weeks, making it easier for border checks to identify those that are too young to be sold in the UK.

Cowell, who owns four dogs, said 'I totally support The Mirror’s campaign. Dogs are our best friends. It breaks my heart to think of puppies being treated badly and in appalling conditions - whilst people make money from them. We must do anything we can to stop this happening'.