THE scorching heat of the weekend claimed the life of a dog left in a car.

Two dogs were locked in the vehicle for more than an hour on Sunday. The car had been left in the ASDA car park in Maidstone Road, Chatham, with all its windows closed.

Although a call was made over Asda’s announcement system for the owners to return to their car nobody came forward.

By the time the car was broken into, a Poodle had died, and the other dog was extremely poorly. The dog has been removed from its owner and the matter is being dealt with by the RSPCA.

Police are urging people to take care. A spokesperson said: "Our advice is not to leave any pets in your car, even with the window open, during this hot weather.

"It wasn’t even the hottest part of the day (approximately 10am – 11am) but it doesn’t take very long for the temperature to build up in a car.

"Unfortunately, as in this case, the soaring temperature has proved fatal within a relatively short period of time."