There has been a rise in animal cruelty in Kent - with more than 100 cases reported every WEEK last year.

The RSPCA investigated 5,475 complaints in 2016, with harrowing cases including a man caught on camera punching a dog and an "equine crisis" which has seen hundreds of horses left to die.

Data released today reveals the charity looked into 3% more cases last year than in 2015, when 5,304 animal cruelty incidents were reported.

However, the number of animal cruelty prosecutions has more than halved, from 39 in 2015 to 14 last year.

The RSPCA's leading inspector said he thinks the surge in calls is down to people being more aware and less tolerant of neglect rather than there being more incidents occurring.

Shocking cases include a dead dog found wrapped in a plastic sheet on Ramsgate beach, and a flea-ridden dog called Ziggy found tied to a gate 100 miles from his home.

In October, a badly neglected bulldog called Spencer was found desperately helping itself to cat food in a garden in Larkfield after losing a third of its body weight.

Assistant director of the RSPCA inspectorate, Dermot Murphy, said: "I believe that the figures from last year show that we’re not becoming crueler, but that people are simply less willing to stand by and do nothing if they think an animal is suffering.

"People are increasingly likely to share images or footage on their social media accounts of animals they believe are not being cared for properly, while many will see material their friends have shared and then contact us about them.

"Either way, our officers are under increased pressure having to respond to more calls and investigate more complaints, but it is thanks to their dedication, as well as RSPCA staff and volunteers across England and Wales that we are able to transform the lives of tens of thousands of animals each year."

The county had the second-highest increase in animal cruelty reports behind Greater London, which had 11,812 cases in 2016 compared to 11,050 the previous year.