Phoenix, the four-month-old foal which suffered horrific burns following a suspected arson attack in August, has died.

The young horse was receiving care at Redwings Horse Sanctuary in Hapton, near Norwich, after he suffered a mix of first, second and third-degree burns following the apparent attack in Kent.

The wounds covered one entire side of his body requiring round-the-clock care from Redwings' vet team.

On Tuesday, October 19, a leading veterinary surgeon from the Netherlands, who specialises in animal wounds and healing, joined the Redwings team to perform skin graft on Phoenix.

He died after not recovering from the general anaesthetic.

Stephanie Callen, communications manager for Redwings Sanctuary, said: "Its an incredibly sad day for everybody, the vet team in particular. They've been giving 24-hour care since August and have become very invested emotionally.

"Everybody who met him fell in love with him and we were determined to do everything we could to give him the best quality of life. We are truly sorry that his life ended this way."

"Throughout his treatment he remained bright, very affectionate and loved the attention of his carers. He really enjoyed cuddles and he coped very well with all the bandaging he needed on a daily basis.

"Sadly this treatment wasn't sustainable and he needed further surgery to aid his recovery. This led to the procedure yesterday but unfortunately it was too much for Phoenix."

Redwings announced the death on social media at midday today (Wednesday, October 20) and have since received hundreds of messages of support.

"Its been absolutely incredible today," Ms Callen said. "Many people across UK and the world were following his story so we've had hundreds of messages already saying how sorry they are for the teams that cared for him.

"Their well-wishes throughout Phoenix's treatment kept the vet team going during a very intense period and have been incredibly helpful to them."

Phoenix had received a lot of support from the public since he came into the care of Redwings and a wishlist was set up in his name.

If you’d like to make a donation in memory of Phoenix, call 01508 481000 or click here.