More than 200 reports of animals being left abandoned across the South West since the start of lockdown

The RSPCA in the South West has received more than 200 reports of animals being left abandoned since the start of the coronavirus lockdown.

The charity has released the figures at part of its appeal to keep its teams out on the road, rescuing animals most in need.

It remains unclear why so many animals have been abandoned - and the RSPCA has reiterated the message there is no evidence to suggest Covid-19 can be passed from pets to people.

Across the region Devon saw the highest number of cases with 52, while there were 50 reports in Somerset and 29 in Gloucestershire.

In total across England and Wales, the charity has received more than 1,600 reports of abandoned animals since lockdown began on March 23 - that’s 40 a day.

Below is a breakdown of the figures across the West Country.

Since the Government introduced the lockdown measures, the RSPCA has responded to more than 27,000 incidents, with 1,600 reported cases of abandoned animals.

The number of animals being cared for by the RSPCA at centres, hospitals and vet surgeries has also grown by hundreds.

Animal rescuers at the charity have been designated key workers by the Government.