Bradford is part of the North East area branded the "cruelty capital of the country" by the RSPCA's regional manager.

Alan Wolinski made his comments after the charity revealed its annual cruelty statistics at a press conference in Leeds today.

According to the figures the North East's animal cruelty convictions rose last year by a staggering 23 per cent from 570 in 1997 to 798 last year.

The figure was the highest rate out of ten RSPCA regions in England and a quarter of the national total of 3,114 convictions. It is the fifth year running the area has been the national cruelty hot spot.

The South East region was the next highest with 389 convictions, half the North East's figure, with London's 149 convictions the lowest.

Mr Wolinski said: "Yet again the region has maintained its shameful record as the cruelty capital of the country.

"Inspectors work tirelessly to prevent cruelty, but they continue to see an increase in the number of animals found abused and living in appalling conditions.

"Looking after an animal involves a tremendous amount of care, cost and commitment and people should not take on pets if these essential requirements cannot be met."

Despite the dramatic increase in convictions many people who committed cruelty were still going unpunished as the owners couldn't be traced.

Mr Wolinski said this showed a need for more animals to be microchipped so pets were permanently linked to their owners.

Blackie the Shetland pony was the subject of one of the RSPCA's successful prosecutions and was led out at the conference. His owner Paul Grant, of Delph Hill, Wyke, pleaded guilty to failing to provide proper care after the horse was found severely emaciated living in a garden with no grazing or water.

Mr Grant received a two-year conditional discharge and a five-year-ban from keeping horses and Blackie was successfully re-homed.

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