The RSPCA has hit out at owners who left their dogs in hot cars over the weekend, despite repeated warnings about the dangers.

The animal welfare charity was inundated with hundreds of complaints over the weekend from people who spotted animals suffering as the temperature rocketed to 90 degrees in some parts of the country.

Around 70 calls about animals trapped in hot cars in the South East came into the RSPCA’s National Control Centre over the weekend of 6-7 July.

We also received a further 280 calls across the rest of England and Wales, and unfortunately the heat wave also claimed a number of lives across the country. 

A seven-year old female Staffordshire bull terrier died after being left in a car outside a pub while the owners had Sunday lunch (7 July) in Bradford, West Yorkshire. A woman and two men have been interviewed.

In another incident, a two- year old Rottweiler cross was pulled dead out of a hot car outside their owner's home in Bury, Greater Manchester. The RSPCA attended after a call from police just after 6pm on Sunday (7 July). A woman has been interviewed.

RSPCA chief inspector Dermot Murphy: “The death of those dogs was an avoidable tragedy. Leaving a dog in a hot car has the same kind of effect as putting it in a microwave. They are literally cooked alive, in what is a horrendous death.

“People just aren’t listening. Leaving a window open simply isn’t enough, and in-car temperatures rise quickly, even if it’s cloudy.”

“What people need to realise is that the next animal to die in a hot car, conservatory or outbuilding could be their pet - that’s how serious this is.” 

All too often, owners make the mistake of thinking it is sufficient to leave a bowl of water or a window open for their pet but this is not enough to protect them from heatstroke, which can have fatal consequences.  Even a hot garden without shade can be disastrous for an animal.

As an example, the temperature inside a vehicle can soar to 47 degrees within 60 minutes when the outside temperature is just 22 degrees.

The RSPCA have reported an alarming increase in animals being abandoned across England and Wales

In the last year, the RSPCA were called out to rescue more than 37,000 abandoned animals and received a call asking for help every 30 seconds.

Every year the charity sees a sharp rise in abandonments at the height of summer. Evidence from the RSPCA and other animal charities suggests some people chose to get rid of their pets rather than pay for them to be looked after while they are on holiday.

In other cases, money may be spent on holidays and other summer ‘treats’ rather than seeking vet attention for ill or newborn animals, so they are simply discarded.

“The shocking fact is that even in a nation of animal lovers, there are thousands of people out there who don’t care about their pets at all. In fact, some literally treat them like rubbish,” said RSPCA deputy chief inspector Ben Strangwood.

The animal welfare charity has released a list of the most unusual places that animals have been abandoned since May [2013]. Including:

• A dog dumped in a duffel bag 
• Chinchillas found in a cage in a cemetery 
• Very young rabbits discovered in a plant pot inside a shopping bag 
• A mother cat and kittens dumped in a wheelie bin 
• A terrapin left in a bucket in a children’s playground
• A man who walked into a Tesco and asked a woman to hold his cat while he called the RSPCA - and then never returned.

The list is a startling reminder that some really do view animals as commodities that can be discarded without a moments’ thought.

“It’s bad enough when we find a box of kittens wrapped in blankets on our doorstep with a note,” added DCI Strangwood, “but now people are deliberately dumping their animals in out of the way places - like bins, skips or on waste ground - and leaving them to die.” 

The public is urged to be vigilant, and to alert the RSPCA if they notice boxes, bins or bags that could contain abandoned animals. Things to look out for include movement and noises.     

To help the RSPCA continue its vital work rescuing rehabilitating and rehoming abandoned animals across England and Wales, Text RUBBISH to 70800 to give £5 today.