MORE than 700 calls were made to the RSPCA’s cruelty line in Wath-upon-Dearne last Christmas Day – and the charity is gearing up for a busy festive period once again.

The charity, with its national call centre based in Wath, has released figures which show that they had 25,230 reports made between December 18 last year and January 2, 2024.

This means there was on average 158 calls an hour and includes a staggering 775 calls which were taken on Christmas Day.

It has also been revealed that during the festive period there were 1,089 reported cases of animals left abandoned in the home during this timeframe in 2023/2024 compared to 884 during the same period in 2022/23 – which is a 23 per cent hike.

In total 660 dogs and 369 cats were left to fend for themselves during this period – often trapped, terrified and completely alone and not knowing if anyone would save them.

Lyndsay Harris, RSPCA chief inspector for South Yorkshire, said: “It is unimaginable that anyone could abandon a pet at any time of year, let alone Christmas.

“Last year we saw a 23 per cent increase in animals abandoned in the home over the Christmas period – often while their owners went away celebrating the festive season without giving a thought for the care of their pets – who were often left in appalling conditions.”