RSPCA alerted after dog 'repeatedly hit' by man in Norwich

Animal charity the RSPCA has said it is concerned to hear reports of a German Shepherd being smacked in Norwich on Wednesday morning.

Neighbours witnessed the dog being struck near the junction of Lloyd Road and Hilary Avenue near HMP Norwich around 9.50am.

A homeowner living nearby, who wished not to be named, has CCTV footage of the incident which has been sent to the police to investigate.

The junction of Hilary Avenue and Lloyd Road (Image: Google Maps)

A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said: "These reports are concerning to hear and we would ask anyone who has any information regarding this to call us or the police.

“The RSPCA gets around 84,000 calls to its cruelty line every month and sadly around 1,500 of those are about intentional cruelty.

“We urge anyone who wants to report animal cruelty to us to call our hotline on 0300 1234 999.”

Eyewitnesses recalled multiple dogs barking in the street at the time which led to one man allegedly hitting out at the German Shepherd.

Norfolk Police has been contacted about the incident.

Reports have also emerged claiming a man hit a German Shepherd dog while walking in the area two days beforehand.

This took place around 8.15am near Williams Loke in Thorpe.

An eyewitness who asked to remain anonymous added the man became defensive when she pulled her car over and told him to stop hitting the animal.

Police have not confirmed if the incidents are connected.

It comes after there was national outrage in response to footage emerging on social media of West Ham United footballer Kurt Zouma kicking and slapping his pet cat.

Zouma has had his cats taken away by the RSPCA and his deal with sportswear firm Adidas was ended as a result of the videos.

It prompted widespread calls for Zouma to be dropped from the West Ham team.

He continued to be selected but then withdrew from the starting line-up before Sunday's fixture at Leicester because of illness.