New research from the RSPCA shows Kent is one of the top 10 hotspots for animal cruelty in England and Wales.

Over the last five years, the charity has received 3,150 reports of intentional cruelty to animals in the county - making it the fifth highest area for animal cruelty reports.

Some 360 of those calls were made last year alone.

At the top of the list was Greater London which had 8,565 cases reported in the last five years, 996 of which were reported in 2020.

In comparison, at number 10 was Hampshire which saw 286 cases last year and 2,442 since 2016.

In a bid to change this, the charity has today launched it's ‘Cancel Out Cruelty’ campaign to raise funds to keep its rescue teams out on the frontline saving animals in desperate need of help.

Nationally, the RSPCA gets around 84,000 calls to its cruelty line every month and around 1,500 of those are about intentional cruelty.

But the charity sees a rise in the summer by around 400 calls, on average, per month, which equates to 47 calls every day or two every hour.

July is a particularly busy month for investigating cruelty - last year the RSPCA dealt with a spike in intentional cruelty as 1,532 incidents were called through to its emergency helpline and the charity is expecting a similar spike this July.

Beatings, knife crime, drowning and intentional killing are just some of the horrific incidents animal rescuers deal with every day.

Dermot Murphy, head of RSPCA animal rescue teams, said: “We always sadly see a rise in cruelty during the summer months.

"As well as more people being out and about in the longer sunny days, seeing and reporting abuse, we feel there are a number of factors which contribute to this rise.

“Unfortunately, the hot summer days can lead to more people drinking alcohol in the sun which can be a factor in causing violence.

"There could also be boredom during the long holidays and more pressures at home – when the whole family is on holiday from school and work, existing difficulties in the home can be magnified.

"During these hot months, calls to our cruelty line rise, putting more pressure on our already stretched frontline rescue teams.

“Police forces reported a rise in domestic violence last year during lockdown and we are concerned that similar pressures which led to this rise may also have impacted on more cruelty to animals behind closed doors during the pandemic.

“The past year has seen a reportedly huge rise in pet ownership and we know most people would not dream of harming an animal.

"However, we are concerned that, as we come out of lockdown and people return to their jobs outside the home or suffer financial pressures, we will see more animals suffer if their owners find themselves unable to cope."

To report an incident of animal cruelty, call the charity's hotline on 0300 1234999.

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

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