We looked on Gumtree and Pets4Homes to see what XL bullies were being sold in south east London to find out how little these dogs are being sold for ahead of the Prime Minister’s breed ban.

The dogs can reach prices of £4,000 on the sites, but we have listed by lowest price to see how little these former pets and pups are being sold for in the local area.

Following the announcement of an impending ban on the sale of American XL Bullies, a rush to sell the breed has been reported on selling sites across the country.

The Independent reports that hundreds of these dogs have been advertised for sale online since the ban was proposed by Rishi Sunak, and immediately following his confirmation, a surge of the breed appeared on sites such as pets4homes.co.uk and social media platforms.

It is feared owners may aim to sell these dogs quickly as it's unlikely they will be able to do so legally following the proposed ban.

Gumtree and Pets4Homes are rife with listings of XL Bully dogs in south east London, but most do appear to be puppies from new litters.

Pets4Homes listings:   On Pets4Homes we found the cheapest dog going for just £250 in Orpington.

The dog was a four-month-old XL bully with the description of: “These puppies have serious old school blood behind them. Dads side 2x RCP Frank  Sinatra 2x Juggernaut 2x Bossy Wonka. Mums side 1x Bossy Jasmine 2x Bossy Wonka.

“Mother is a Blue reverse Tri Classic with athletic blood.

“Farther is a Pied Platnuim white Choclate Tri XL. All puppies carry the tri and platinum white genes.”

Two pups from Dartford were listed at £300 each. It reads: “2 American bully pups, silver and brown. Double jabbed and ready to go . Insta activebullysuk for more pics and videos.”

A one year and seven-month-old female was listed on Pets4Homes for £400 and has quite the back story.

Her listing reads: “Here I have a female “bully” for sale. The reason the bully is in quotation marks is because as you can see she doesn’t look much like a bully but that’s what I was told she was and she doesn’t have any paperwork to prove what she actually is.

“I’ve only had her for a week and I'm in possession of her as the previous owner had to get rid of her as the house she was in was not suitable for a dog and it was almost cruel to keep her there. The two options was either give her up to Battersea dogs home or for me to take her and find someone who would give her everything she needs and more which is what I aim to do.”

An American XL Bully male in Orpington that is two years old was being sold for £500 with the listing reading: “Unfortunately I can’t keep my boy it pains me I’ve tried everything possible and this is my last option. I’ve been promoted and my miss is having a baby. I just don’t have the time for him.”

Two pups at 15 weeks old were also available in Orpington at £600 and has a description of “A one of kind breeding Brought to you straight from the states!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸”

On Gumtree we found:   One female XL aged 11 months was listed at £500 by a individual in Orpington. The listing reads: “We have a female xl merle for sale great bloodline abkc registered with paperwork.”

Pups in New Cross were also listed at £500 each. This listing reads: “I have 8 puppies for sale out of a litter of 11, Mum and dad can be seen as both owned by us.

“Mum is Merle and dad is in house bred by us Both have beautiful markings and have the loveliest nature.”

The Prime Minister’s ban, which is set to be implemented by the end of 2023, has been widely backed by the Labour Party, former Conservative home secretary Baron Baker of Dorking and multiple campaign groups.

This ban comes after several attacks by bully breeds, including an incident in Staffordshire where a man was fatally mauled, and a separate incident which went viral online, showing an 11-year-old girl in Birmingham sustaining serious injuries from a suspected XL Bully.

Importantly, existing owners of American XL bullies will not face a cull after the ban, according to promises from the Prime Minister.

Downing Street states that measures will be enacted to deal with the current population of these dogs, possibly including mandatory neutering and muzzling of dogs in public, as advised by the Government’s chief vet.

The details of how the Government plans to "safely manage the existing population of these dogs" will be considered in an upcoming consultation according to the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson.

Asked by BBC Radio West Midlands if the planned ban would be enough to stop more people being harmed, Mr Sunak said: “These American XL bully dogs are a danger to our communities and we are urgently working on ways to stop these attacks and to protect the public, not just in the West Midlands but across the country.

“Last week ministers brought together police and the experts… to define the breed of the dog, and then once we have defined the breed of the dog we will be able to ban the breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

“Those new laws will be in place by the end of the year.

“Exactly how that transition works, which you spoke to, is something that is being worked on between the police and the experts as I mentioned.

“But what is clear is these dogs are a danger to our communities and we are taking action to try and stop these attacks and protect the public.”