RSPCA bosses are investigating after a dog was set ablaze at an isolated moorland site above Keighley.

The charred carcass of a whippet-like dog was found at the spot in Pole Road, between Goose Eye and Sutton.

A woman alerted the RSPCA after finding the remains on Sunday. She had earlier seen a man with a petrol can close to a burning object at the site.

It is unclear if the dog was dead or alive prior to being burned.

RSPCA inspector Richard Oddy is appealing for information from the public.

He told us: "It is an unusual case and we would like to hear from anyone who could possibly shed some light on the situation.

"If the dog was alive when it was set alight it would be a most horrendous act of cruelty, but it might well be that someone was disposing of a carcass. We simply don't know."

He says a woman and her husband were driving across the moor on Sunday when they spotted the man clutching a petrol can, near the burning object. There was another younger man sitting in a red Toyota or Nissan, which was parked in the road with its boot raised.

"The couple drove past but when they got home they thought about it more and returned to the scene, where they found the burned skeletal remains of a dog," says Insp Oddy.

"The circumstances while being unusual could be quite innocent and we would ask the public for its assistance."

He says the man with the petrol can was of Asian appearance, bearded and aged in his fifties. He was wearing white baggy clothing, a jacket and training shoes.

Anyone with information should contact Insp Oddy on 08705 555999.

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