Animal cruelty rising each summer, says RSPCA

Spaniel puppy Bella was kicked by her owner and carried by the lead around her neck

Animal beatings have risen significantly in the South East over the last few summers, the RSPCA has said.

The welfare charity revealed it dealt with 129 abuse reports for Kent last summer - a rise of 101% since 2020.

It added that West Sussex had seen a 76% rise in similar reports - 44 in 2024 - with a 52% rise in East Sussex (73 reports) and in Surrey an 80% rise to 47 cases.

Ian Briggs, head of the RSPCA's special operations unit, called the figures "really distressing and stark".

He added that across England and Wales there had been a 105% rise in reports of summer beatings over the last four years (1,613 for July to August 2020 to 3,304 in July to August 2024).

That equates to four beatings reported every hour or one every 15 minutes the RSPCA's call line is open.

"This is why our Summer Cruelty Campaign is so important in highlighting that for thousands of animals this time of year is one of pain and suffering," said Mr Briggs.

He added that more CCTV footage, doorbell cameras and smartphones meant a greater chance of beatings being recorded, both outside and behind closed doors.

"This could account for the rise we are seeing, as these awful abusers are caught on camera, uploaded to social media or reported directly to us."

Dogs were the most likely pet to be beaten, with nearly 21,000 reports of abuse made to the charity last year alone.

In June, July and August last year the RSPCA took 34,401 cruelty calls to its emergency line - compared to 25,887 the year before - up by a third.

On average it took 374 reports of cruelty against animals every single day during this period or one call every two minutes the line was open.