A leading animal welfare charity has named London as the worst in the UK for complaints of animal cruelty. 

The statistics released today by the RSPCA revealed the total number of complaints investigated rose in 2014 to 159,831 compared to 153,770 in 2013. 

London topped the list with 12,202 investigations, followed by West Yorkshire with 8,440 and Essex in eighth place with 4,862 complaints. 

In the last year, the south-east region has experienced a 5.6 per cent increase with almost 2,000 more cases since 2013. 

The number of deliberate and violent acts of cruelty being inflicted upon animals totalled 20,258 cases which again has steadily rose from the previous year. 

Pets that were most likely to fall victim to animal cruelty in 2014 were dogs with the majority of its 21,084 cases being reports of beating, followed by cats, rabbits and small animals.

Last month, the RSPCA successfully prosecuted a restaurant owner for causing unrelenting pain to two Rottweiler puppies through the illegal practice known as 'docking'. 

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

Rocky being treated by veterinary surgeons after being rescued by the RSPCA

Director of Cyprus Gardens restaurant in Southend Road, Chingford, Ediz Hastunch, was ordered to pay a £3,454 fine, RSPCA courts costs of £2,300 and was banned from owning animals for 12 months. 

RSPCA superintendent for the south-east, Paul Stilgoe, said: "Once again we have been shocked by just how vicious people can be to animals and it seems a large number of these cases are happening in this region. 

"London is at the top of the list of counties in terms of number of complaints and Kent is not far behind. This is not a list anyone can be proud of leading.

"Many of the complaints we receive involve animals being neglected or not receiving the right care and often we can put that right by offering welfare advice.  

"However, it is utterly unacceptable that in 2014 people are still being deliberately cruel in what can be disturbingly inventive ways."

2014 was also the year the RSPCA led five prosecutions relating to the Neknomination online craze which saw several people swallow live fish, frogs and even a lizard. 

Jack Blowers, 20, from Lowestoft, Suffolk, was fined £200 for failing to protect the two goldfish fish from suffering after he uploaded a video of him swallowing them on Facebook.