In five years 21,600 animals have been hurt by litter say RSPCA

The RSPCA says thousands of animals are injured or caught in discarded litter. Credit: RSPCA

There have been 21,600 cases of animals being injured or caught in litter over the last five years according to the RSPCA.

The county with the highest number of cases in the East of England was Norfolk at 867, while Bedfordshire saw the lowest numbers at 234.

This Buzzard has become tangled in fishing wire. Credit: RSPCA

  • Norfolk - 867

  • Essex - 690

  • Cambridgeshire - 481

  • Hertfordshire - 396

  • Buckinghamshire - 353

  • Suffolk - 277

  • Northamptonshire - 250

  • Bedfordshire - 234

Between 2015 and 2019 the animal charity's hotline has received 6,466 calls about animals affected by general litter, but a much higher number of 15,183 reports about animals affected by angling litter.

There have been a further 12,904 reports of animals and birds trapped in various types of netting, which includes netting discarded as rubbish.

An Owl was injured after getting caught in fishing wire in a tree. Credit: RSPCA
A fox cub getting its head caught in a tin can while looking for food. Credit: RSPCA

The animal charity is asking people if they see discarded litter, to pick it up safely and put it in a bin, remembering to wash their hands afterwards.