Dog owners who leave their pets in cars with no windows open risk having their windows smashed or a dead dog - that is the stark message issued by the police this summer.

The message comes after an increased number of dogs have been spotted in baking hot cars by members of the public.

Last year police smashed a car window to free a dog that was barking to be let out of a car parked in Exmouth. The dog had been left in the car for an hour and would have died had police not acted so quickly.

Sgt Ryan Canning said officers have been called to a number of cases in the past few days as the temperatures soar.

He said: "I was alerted to one on Monday, which was absolutely baking.

"Another five minutes and we would have thought about breaking the window. Fortunately the owner returned before we were forced to take action.

"We are getting a number of calls in this hot weather about distressed dogs in cars. Sometimes opening the window a tiny crack is just not enough to keep the pet safe.

"We want to issue this warning – if we find a dog in a distressed state we have the legal power to ventilate the car in a suitable manner and released the dog. It would then be treated by a vet and the owner billed for that cost.

"The police are the first port of call for these kinds of incident, not the RSPCA. People who are calling the RSPCA are merely referred straight back to the police, so it's best to call us first.

"Please think of your pets. It only takes a short while in hot weather for them to suffer from the tremendous heat of a car."