A hard-hitting new RSPCA animated film has been watched tens of thousands of times in just 72 hours - and is now set to hit television screens across the country.

The 30-second film has been released as the animal welfare charity launches its 'No Animal Deserves Cruelty Appeal' - as the RSPCA is braced to respond to more cruelty this summer than at any other time of the year.

Between June and August last year, the RSPCA took a report about an incident of animal cruelty every five minutes.

The RSPCA’s new film brings to life the powerful story of resilience seen in so many of the animals rescued - as the charity responds to mounting reports of cruelty at this time of year.

It features a young dog left without food and water, and living in fear of violence from their owner - before being saved by an RSPCA rescuer.

The cartoon is typical of the tireless rescue efforts RSPCA officers provide every day - with the charity, last year, receiving an astonishing 285 reports of cruelty against animals every single day during these peak summer months.

More than 70,000 people have already watched the animated film since it was uploaded to the RSPCA's YouTube channel on 4 July, as the RSPCA seeks to raise vital funds during the busiest time of the year for animal cruelty.

A shorter version of the film - a 15-second clip - has proven even more popular, and has racked up more than 525,000 views on YouTube in just ten days.

Karen Colman, who heads up the RSPCA welfare oversight team, said: “In summer, we receive more reports of cruelty than at any other time of year - and our inspectorate officers are braced for another very challenging period ahead.

“This powerful new film highlights perfectly what our officers are doing on the frontline every single day. Since the animation went live, we’ve been really heartened by the tens of thousands of people who've watched it and shown their support.

“No animal deserves heartbreaking abuse. Animals are like us: they feel desperation, confusion and terror - but I am immensely thankful that our dedicated officers are on the frontline each and every day rescuing animals from such scenes of deliberate cruelty, neglect and mistreatment.

“But we can’t do this alone. That’s why we’ve launched our summer cruelty appeal, because it’s vital that we all take action together to keep reaching even more animals this summer.”

Supporters of the charity can catch the new film on social media - including on YouTube and the Nextdoor social platform. It will also be running across ITVX and Channel 4's on demand platforms until the end of August.

More information on the RSPCA’s No Animal Deserves Cruelty Appeal can be found on the charity's website.

To report animal cruelty or neglect please visit www.rspca.org.uk/reportcruelty for further information.