Airgun attacks are set to reach a five-year high according to research from the RSPCA

The animal charity said it has received more than 470 calls about incidents in the first six months of the year, with Lancashire one of the counties most effected.

This includes airgun attacks on cats Jasper and Rufus in April.

Jasper was shot six times in Oswaldtwistle and Rufus was shot in Accrington.

Lancashire was the seventh highest county in the country for airgun attacks over the last five years, with 168 incidents during that time, including nine so far this year.

Andy Richards, from Friends of the Cats in Accrington, cared for stray Rufus after he was targeted earlier this year and said the figures came as a surprise to him.

He said: “I’m very shocked by the scale of the problem of airgun attacks on animals and the number of people who have access to these rifles.

“What happened to Rufus really opened my eyes to how common the problem is.

“I can’t imagine why Lancashire is such a hotbed for these attacks, but something needs to be done to clamp down on this problem so these people can’t access these airguns so easily.

“I have cats myself and Friends of the Cats encourages cats to be out-and-about in the open rather than in their homes, but this definitely makes you think twice about letting them out for their own safety.”

Cats are the most targeted animal in attacks according to the charity.

The figures have been released at one of the busiest times of the year for RSPCA inspectors investigating these deliberate attacks.

Last year, the RSPCA received 890 calls to its 24-hour cruelty hotline reporting airgun attacks

This is set to be topped in 2017 however, with 471 calls received by the charity by the end of June, with six months of the year still to come.

The charity said it was backing calls for stricter regulations around the use of airguns.

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.

“We receive hundreds of calls from devastated cat owners every year after they discover their beloved pets have been shot.”

The charity also warned that due to the longer days July and August are typically some of the busiest months for inspectors investigating incidents of animals shot by people using airguns.