Alex Cunningham MP attended the RSPCA’s annual drop-in in the House of Commons last week. As part of this, he heard directly from RSPCA Inspectors about their frontline work to protect animals in Stockton North and across the UK.
At the event, the scale of animal cruelty complaints across County Durham were revealed. In 2017, the RSPCA investigated 3384 complaints about animal cruelty in the county, with the charity’s nationwide 24-hour cruelty line receiving over a million calls.
The RSPCA has been investigating and prosecuting animal welfare offences since its foundation in 1824. To this day, they are increasing their work to prevent cruelty occurring in the first place and to educate the next generation of animal lovers.
Alex Cunningham MP said:
“I’m proud to support the RSPCA and the work that their Inspectors do to protect animal welfare in Stockton North. It was fantastic to meet some of their hard-working Inspectors and to thank them on behalf of the animal lovers in our area for all that they do.
“However, I am saddened that the RSPCA’s latest statistics show animal cruelty complaints are continuing in County Durham. We all have a duty to be vigilant against abuses of animal welfare and I will continue to work closely with the RSPCA to help improve standards of animal welfare in County Durham and across the UK.”
