CONCERNED members of the public have called out East Cambridgeshire s dog warden four times in recent weeks, fearing that dogs left in parked cars have been in danger as temperatures soared. Dog warden Veronica Avory, who works for the district council,

CONCERNED members of the public have called out East Cambridgeshire's dog warden four times in recent weeks, fearing that dogs left in parked cars have been in danger as temperatures soared.

Dog warden Veronica Avory, who works for the district council, said she has had to contact the police twice to help her to get distressed dogs out of parked vehicles.

"I don't understand why people don't just leave their dogs at home," she said.

"The message is: don't bring them out - leave them at home or in the garden, because they are much happier there and it's kinder for them."

"We do urge people to call us if they see a dog in distress on 01353 616285," she said.

The district council message follows an RSPCA report which shows that animal cruelty rose dramatically across the county last year - latest figures show a staggering 141 per cent increase in the number of offenders convicted.

The figures, which also show the number of cases reported to the RSPCA have risen by 86 per cent to 71 cases, are some of the highest increases of anywhere in the country.

Besides the increase in convicted defendants rising from 17 the year before to 41, the RSCPA said last year they issued 17 cautions against 11 in 2004.

The charity said incidents it had dealt with over the last year were the worst ever seen by inspectors.

RSPCA east regional manager John Atter said : "2005 will go down as one of the most violent towards animals.

"Sadly, despite our best efforts, there are those who continue to ignore our messages and treat animals with brute force instead of compassion"

"On a more positive note, it is heartening to see how mow many of these cruelty victims enjoy new and happy lives once they are re-homed by our staff."

The Eastern region, which includes Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, received more than 22,000 complaints of cruelty in 2005, up from just over 21,000 the previous year.

The total number of visits made by inspectors also rose sharply, although the number of animal rescues dropped by about 8,000.

Mr Atter said the majority of cases dealt with by the charity involved dogs, with many of these related to pets not having access to fresh drinking water.

Among the cases featured during a press briefing to unveil the latest figures was that of an Ely woman who immersed a pet rabbit called Lucky in a bucket of water and bleach before hitting it on the head with a metal pole, knocking it unconscious.

The 22-year-old was given a two-month suspended prison sentence.