A vet caught illegally importing designer dogs into the UK has been banned for life.

Viktor Molnar, from Dartford, was brought to justice when a retired teacher from Renfrewshire, Scotland, paid £600 for a miniature dachshund called Janet.

The puppy fell sick on its journey home and it later emerged the pooch was just eight-weeks old and should not have been allowed into the UK.

Molnar, 58, who ran an unlicensed vet practise in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, was struck off after a misconduct hearing.

It was told how he imported four other dachshunds and advertised them on buy-and-sell websites.

He has previously listed Bichon Havanese and Shih Tzu puppies for sale.

It comes as new figures reveal the soaring trade in pups smuggled from Eastern Europe.

Almost 1,200 puppies were seized at UK borders in just two years as foreign crooks capitalise on the designer dog trend.

They are now the most smuggled item in the EU besides guns and drugs.

And illegal imports from Hungary have rocketed by 761% in four years as gangs expose weak border control to cash in on the pedigree pet craze.

Handbag dog breeds such as ‘teacup’ dachshunds, pugs and chow-chows are being bought for as little as £20 and sold on for upwards of £1,000.

They are often sold much younger than their fake paperwork suggests and have never been vaccinated for rabies or tapeworm.

Ian Green, from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, said: “As a veterinary surgeon, Molnar must have known the serious implications and consequences of what he was doing by importing these puppies unlawfully.

“The public should expect to be able to trust a veterinary surgeon to ensure that his conduct does not put at risk the health of both animals and humans.

“The contravention of import regulations risks a serious detrimental effect on both animal and human health by introducing potentially lethal diseases into the country.”

Under UK pet import rules it is illegal to bring unvaccinated puppies under 12 weeks into the country.

According to dog charities, smugglers are faking microchip and vaccination paperwork and are sedating puppies for marathon 1,000 mile lorry journeys across Europe.

In the two years to January, a total of 1,117 illegal puppies were intercepted in the UK.

A Dogs Trust spokesman said: “We are very concerned about small dogs like 'teacup' puppies being regarded as fashion accessories and bought on impulse.

“When trends like ‘teacup’ puppies come around it causes a huge demand for smaller designer dogs, which in turns leads to dogs being bred irresponsibly and as a result, encountering potential health and behavioural problems.”