AIRGUN attacks on animals are set to reach a five-year high according to figures release by the RSPCA.

The animal charity has already received more than 470 calls about such incidents in the first six months of this year, compared to 455 during the same period in 2016.

Overall in 2016 the RSPCA received 890 calls to its 24-hour cruelty hotline reporting airgun attacks.

Since 2012 there have been a total of 4,828 airgun incidents reported, with the highest number about wild birds, followed by cats.

In West Yorkshire there have been 178 reports in the same period, the sixth highest in England.

The charity is backing calls for stricter regulations around the use of airguns, following the introduction of legislation in Scotland which now means that anyone with an airgun must have a licence.

Dermot Murphy, assistant director of the RSPCA Inspectorate, said: “It is a depressing fact that every year hundreds of victims of airgun attacks are reported to the RSPCA.

“While wild animals are often victims, the most targeted domestic animal is cats that often suffer fatal or life-changing injuries.

“We receive hundreds of calls from devastated cat owners every year after they discover their beloved pets have been shot. Often it isn’t until the x-rays reveal the pellets still lodged in the animal’s body that it becomes clear what they have been subjected to.

“It often leaves the victim with life-changing injuries, such as the lost of an eye, or even requiring the amputation of a limb. In some tragic instances, the injuries even prove fatal.

“It is difficult to understand how anyone could carry out these mindless attacks on innocent animals and we are backing calls for stricter regulations around owning an airgun. This, along with better education and explanation of the law when buying an air gun, and requirements that everyone must receive basic safety training before being allowed to walk out of the shop could help relieve the problem.”

Incidents in which an animal has been shot or targeted by someone using an airgun should be reported to the RSPCA’s national cruelty line on 0300 1234 999.