One year on from the events at Ramsgate’s port which led to the death of dozens of sheep, animal campaigners are holding an anniversary memorial.

On Thursday, September 12, members of the RSPCA will gather at 11am at the entrance to the port along with animal export protesters and campaigners to lay a memorial wreath to the animals.

RSPCA campaign manager Eloise Shavelar said: “We will be remembering the victims of live transport.

“One year on from the Ramsgate tragedy we will come together to lay a floral tribute to the 47 animals who died that day, but also to all those who have had to endure the suffering involved in this cruel trade.

“We vow to fight on to bring about an end to live exports but we will never forget those who have passed through the port already.”

A temporary ban on live animal exports at the Port of Ramsgate was put in place after the death of the animals and two French lorry drivers were arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty after a lorry was declared unfit to travel across the Channel.

The lorry was found to have faults and the sheep were unloaded to a holding pen while an alternative truck was found.

Two sheep, one with a broken leg, were put down and more than 40 other sheep also had to be shot after a vet found they were severely lame.

In a further tragedy, sheep were loaded into an area where the floor then collapsed – six sheep fell into the water and four were rescued by nearby RSPCA officers, but two of the animals drowned.

The same lorry had been declared unfit to travel the previous month and had had two further failures during other visits.

In November the authority lifted its temporary ban after legal advice and the RSPCA made a bid for a judicial review of the arrangements for the export of livestock from Ramsgate in December but the review was ruled out by a High Court judge on March 21, allowing trade to begin again.

The trade moved to the port of Dover at the beginning of May and is still taking place there.