HAMPSHIRE is in the midst of a horse “crisis” after 483 complaints were received by a welfare charity in the county last year.

The RSPCA has said that 368 horses were reported to the charity in 2017, with almost double the amount of rescues performed compared to 2016.

It comes less that two weeks after five abandoned horses were rescued in Lymington by the charity. In 2017, 52 of the animals were rescued by the charity, which was an increase of 22 compared to the 30 rescued in 2016.

RSPCA says there is currently an ongoing national crisis with equine cruelty.

Nearly 1,000 were rescued by the charity from cruelty, neglect and suffering last year. Of those, 928 are still in the charity’s care.

Hampshire is the third highest in the country for rescue cases, behind only Kent and Durham.

Inspectorate national equine co-ordinator Christine McNeil said: “We’ve been talking about the horse crisis for several years now, but the truth is the situation is just as severe today as when it started.

“Last year we took in more horses than we have in the past four years, and with out inspectors being called to rescue more and more every week, we are stretched to the limits.”

Latest figures show that it costs the charity more than £3 million every year to care for the horses, which doesn’t include veterinary costs.

The 24-hour emergency line received more than 80 calls each day in 2017.