THE RSPCA is preparing for its busiest month of the year after the number of calls about wildlife from people in the North West peaked at 3,593 last June.

A spokesperson said the organisation received more than 204,9741 calls about wildlife in 2018 across England and Wales last year, with 23,545 of those from the North West.

In Merseyside RSPCA inspectors dealt with 6,031 calls last year, 1,130 in June alone.

The figures for rest of the region last year are as follows:

Cheshire: 4,076 (698 in June)

Cumbria: 1,489 (273 in June)

Greater Manchester: 7,312 (495 in June)

Lancashire: 4,637 (997 last June).

The top five species the calls related to were pigeons, red foxes, gulls undefined, hedgehogs and deer.

The RSPCA's scientific officer Evie Button said: "May, June and July are our busiest months for wildlife, so our officers, centre staff and volunteers are flat out at this time of year.

"Caring for young animals at our wildlife centres can be a round-the-clock job. Some of the most vulnerable animals need to be hand-fed every few hours, even through the night.

"From newborn fox cubs which have lost their mother, to injured blackbirds or tiny orphaned hoglets, the RSPCA is very busy caring for and rehabilitating animals so they can hopefully be re-introduced to the wild."

RSPCA officers collected 59,428 wild animals last year, peaking in June and July with 9,688 and 10,388 collections respectively.

To help wildlife in the garden this summer you can:

Put out fresh, clean water for drinking and bathing,

Take care using lawn-mowers or strimmers and keeping pesticides out of reach of animals.

Tidy away unused sports and garden netting to prevent animals to tangled

For more information about what to do if you find a wild animal in need of help, please visit the RSPCA website

To report concerns about an animal, please call the RSPCA 24-hour hotline on 0300 1234 999.