By John James

Concerned shoppers gave a "shaking" dog water and called the police after finding he had been left in a vehicle outside Sainsbury's in 31C conditions.

The dog had been left with no water and the window was left only slightly open outside the store in Canterbury.

Stacey Hardman spotted the animal suffering and immediately informed the store.

An announcement was swiftly put out on the tannoy, but after no response, a rescue party - including Stacey, Sainsbury's staff and two other worried onlookers - decided to take action.

They succeeded in opening the car door, which had been left unlocked, and retrieving the panting and shaking pup.

The police were called, but the owner returned to the car while the caller was on the line.

When confronted, the owner reportedly said: “Oh he’s fine. He’s only shaking because he’s scared of you”.

Stacey said: "I think it is disgusting how people can leave their animals in a car in this heat and find it totally acceptable. When will people learn to look after their animals?"

A police spokesman said they were looking into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The rescue comes as the RSPCA reveals it has received a staggering 115 complaints in Kent related to similar incidents between June 1 and July 28.

The animal welfare charity - which leads a coalition of charities and organisations in their annual Dogs Die in Hot Cars campaign - has been forced to issue renewed advice.

It comes after the tragic deaths of three dogs left in vehicles in two separate incidents, and countless reports of dogs being removed from vehicles by members of the public.

Holly Barber, manager of the Dogs Die in Hot Cars campaign for the RSPCA, said: “Every year we commission a survey to find out people’s awareness and attitudes to this issue.

“At Christmas in 2016 only 55% of people said they would never leave their dog in a car on a warm day. This has now risen to 71% (July 2018).

“However, despite this promising data, the RSPCA continues to be inundated with calls from members of the public reporting dogs that have been left in hot cars.

“This is extremely worrying when you consider that our key advice is to call the police on 999 in an emergency.”

The charity advises calling police and not the RSPCA, as police have the power to smash windows and bring animals to safety.

Holly added: “I simply don’t understand how people can possibly think it’s acceptable to leave a dog inside a parked car when temperatures outside are topping 30C.

“It’s absolutely baffling that people who believe they are loving pet owners can even consider this as being acceptable.

“Please, please leave your pets at home in the shade with access to plenty of fresh water during the heatwave.”

Temperatures are expected to briefly dip down to the mid-20s this weekend before rising to as high as 28C by Tuesday.