The RSPCA have said that they fear more dogs will lose their lives this summer as owners continue to leave their pets locked in cars during warm weather conditions.

The charity said that they received 388 calls between Monday, August 21 and Bank Holiday Monday, August 28, amounting to more than two calls every hour.

The UK experienced the hottest August Bank Holiday weekend on record, with Norfolk experiencing a high of 27C.

The county was also one of the worst regions in the country for pets left in hot environments, with the RSPCA receiving 18 calls the during the week-long period.

Only Wales and London registered a higher number of calls, with 19 and 29 respectively.

RSPCA campaign manager, Holly Barber, said: 'It's really worrying that despite all of our campaign activity and publicity this summer, hundreds of people are still putting their pets in perilously dangerous situations.

'Our main advice to owners is not to leave dogs in cars and our main advice to passers-by is to call 999 if they're concerned about an animal in a hot environment.

'Despite these clear and simple messages, people continue to put their pets' lives at risk by leaving them shut inside vehicles when the temperature outside is nearing 30 degrees. And while many well-intentioned people concerned for the welfare of the animal are alerting us, we would urge them to call police instead as they can often get there quicker and have the power to break into a vehicle to get animals out of danger.

'My fear is that unless people seriously consider the danger they are putting their pets in, more dogs will lose their lives this summer due to their owner's ignorance.'

The charity advises owners not to leave any animal in a car, caravan, conservatory or outbuilding as temperatures inside can quickly rise. If it is 22C outside, the temperature inside a car can reach 47C within an hour, which can result in death.

Last year the RSPCA's emergency hotline received 7,187 calls about animals in hot environments and the majority of these were regarding dogs. This was down from the previous year which saw 8,779.

For more information on what to do if you see a dog in a hot car visit the RSPCA website.