Leaving your dog in the car on a hot day could land you an UNLIMITED fine and a criminal record
Motorists can be charged under the Animal Welfare Act if something happens to their pooch while it's left alone in a vehicle
AS Britain is plunged into a heatwave, drivers could be risking serious penalty for leaving their dog in the car.
According to the RSPCA, Brits could end up with a criminal record if something happens to their pooch left alone in their motor - on top of dealing with the heartbreak of seeing their pet suffer.
While it's technically not illegal to leave your pet unattended in your vehicle, if the animal becomes ill or even dies as a result of being left in the heat, you could be charged with animal cruelty.
If found guilty under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, drivers can be slapped with an unlimited fine and even receive as much as six months in custody.
In May last year, a motorist was given an 18-week prison sentence suspended for two years, banned from keeping animals for 10 years and ordered to pay £1,900 in fines after his three dogs died in his car.
The 66-year-old had left the animals in the vehicle for five hours and said he "misjudged the weather very badly".
With temperatures expected to approach 30 degrees well into July, drivers need to be even more aware of the dangers of leaving their pet locked in the car.
On Monday, two police officers in York were forced to smash a car's window to free two Labradors left for half an hour in 28C heat.
According to a recent study by Confused.com, almost half of dog-owning motorists admitted to leaving their dog in the car, with 70 per cent doing so on a hot day for 8 minutes on average.
But a car sat in 24C heat can reach a sweltering 34C in just 10 minutes, and a dangerous 43C after just half an hour - making it risky to leave your pet alone even for a short time.
PUPPY PATROL What should you do if you see a dog locked in a car during hot weather?
And an estimated three million Brit motorists said they wouldn't intervene if they saw a dog locked in the car on a hot day.
The research found that just one in 100 passersby would attempt to break into a car to rescue a dog in distress.
"Even if the temperature doesn’t feel particularly warm outside, the inside of the car can get very hot, very quickly.
“But we know it can be difficult for the public to know what they can or can’t do if they come across a dog left alone in a hot car, and so we’ve created a guide to help through the steps to take, starting with assessing how the dog is reacting to the heat.