Animal welfare activists are warning of a "summer crisis", as figures show Kent is one of the worst areas for owners dumping their pets.

The RSPCA says unwanted newborn kittens and puppies have been dumped in bins or left at the roadside, horses abandoned in fields, and exotic pets cast aside in what is one of its busiest periods of the year.

A total of 581 animals were "dumped like rubbish" in Kent last summer - up from 283 in 2017 - giving the county the fourth highest total in the south east.

Only Cambridgeshire (2,743), Greater London (1,696), and Essex (699) had more cases and nationally the charity took a call about abandoned animals every six minutes.

This amounted to 23,673 calls between June, July, and August last year - an 85% increase on the colder months.

It is not clear why the figures rise so dramatically in the warmer months, but the charity says it may be that abandoned animals are more visible when people are out and about.

It also says it could be people feel less guilty about leaving them alone when the weather is warmer or some people dump their pets when they go away on holiday and have nowhere for them to go.

Dermot Murphy, the RSPCA's chief inspectorate officer, said: "Sadly, we see a dramatic increase in the number of animals abandoned in the summer.

"From unwanted newborn kittens and puppies dumped in boxes and bins, exotic pets cast aside, or horses abandoned in someone else's field, dumped like rubbish.

"There is never an excuse to abandon an animal in this way and we would urge anyone who is struggling to cope with their pets to contact us or other charities for help.

"Our pets are sentient beings and great companions who rely on us for their health and happiness so dumping them like an old mobile phone or a piece of rubbish should never be the answer.

"The peak in animals being abandoned in the summer puts a massive strain on our inspectors, animal centres and branches who are left picking up the pieces when an animal is dumped."

The RSPCA earlier said it was on the brink of a cat crisis with almost two felines rescued every day in Kent.

It costs the RSPCA nearly £30,000 a month to run an animal centre, providing vet care, food, toys and comfort to needy animals.

• To help the charity visit www.rspca.org.uk/summercrisis

Escaped animals, unusual finds and news from the RSPCA can all be found here