The RSPCA in Cumbria saw a 10 per cent increase in the number of complaints it investigated last year.

The number of complaints inspected by the RSPCA in Cumbria rose from 1,502 in 2015 to 1,653 last year.

But despite thousands of complaints, only six people were convicted of animal cruelty last year, down from 10 in 2015.

One of those convicted was Marie Elizabeth Staniforth, 32, who was locked up by magistrates after a starved and emaciated lurcher-type animal who rescuers called Spot was found in Cleator Moor.

Staniforth was originally jailed for 126 days and banned from keeping animals for life but this was later reduced to two weeks after an appeal against her sentence was successfully made.

The lurcher has made an incredible recovery and has a new home with a loving owner and three other dogs in Leicestershire.

Across the country, the number of complaints investigated by the RSPCA increased last year by 6,600 up to 149,604.

Dermot Murphy, assistant director of the RSPCA Inspectorate, said: “It never fails to shock me when I look back on the extreme instances of animal cruelty the RSPCA has been called upon to investigate.

"It continues to outrage and sadden me that people can be capable of such deliberate brutality towards animals, but equally it drives me on to ensure that perpetrators of animal cruelty are put before the courts.

“I believe that the figures from last year show that we’re not becoming crueler, but that people are simply less willing to stand by and do nothing if they think an animal is suffering.

"In the North Yorkshire case involving Baby the bulldog, an SD card was found on the floor of a supermarket and handed into police by someone who recognised the men on it.

“In the badger killing case in West Yorkshire, we learned about the offences after one of the defendants posted footage on Instagram.

"People are increasingly likely to share images or footage on their social media accounts of animals they believe are not being cared for properly, while many will see material their friends have shared and then contact us about them.

“Either way though, our officers are under increased pressure having to respond to more calls to our 24-hour cruelty hotline - these were up by more than three per cent - and more complaints.

"It is thanks to their dedication, as well as RSPCA staff and volunteers across England and Wales, that we are able to transform the lives of tens of thousands of animals each year.”