Four men have been arrested as part of an operation looking into alleged animal welfare and wildlife offences.

The raids, which took place on Wednesday morning (Jan 18) in Canterbury and near Folkestone, were led by the RSPCA.

Ten dogs were also seized from the properties.

The dogs, which are believed to be a mix of terriers and lurchers, have now been taken into the care of the animal charity.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: "A number of warrants took place on Wednesday 18 January as part of an operation looking into alleged animal welfare and wildlife offences.

"Kent Police seized two dogs at one location in the Canterbury area and eight were seized at a location near Folkestone.

"The dogs - who were mostly terriers and some lurcher dogs - have now been placed in RSPCA care. Other supporting evidence was also seized by police.

"We would like to thank all the forces for approaching this large scale operation collaboratively. This is now an ongoing investigation.”

Police confirmed the arrests and its involvement in the operation, saying: "Officers from Kent Police including the Rural Task Force, assisted RSPCA officers with a number of warrants in east Kent during the morning of Wednesday, January 18.

"Four men were arrested as part of the ongoing investigation: two men from the Canterbury area aged 21 and 66 years old, a 37-year-old man from the Ashford area and a 44-year-old from the Folkestone area.

"They have been released under investigation while enquiries continue."