POLICE have issued a plea for dog owners not to leave their pets in cars in the summer heat.

Officers have already been called to help two animals locked in cars today alone, and the Force Control Room has put out a statement warning other pet owners not to make the same mistake.

In a tweet at around 3pm today the Force Control Room wrote: "Officers on route to report of a dog in distress in a parked car in Skipton. Please don't do this. It is extremely cruel."

At around the same time, officer in Northallerton went to help another animal locked in a car with no windows open.

On the Northallerton Safer Neighbourhood Team's twitter account they wrote: "Dealt with a dog that was locked in a car, no windows open. Dog owners, even though the sun might not be out it is still warm for them."

Neither animals were hurt - the Skipton animal's had been moved before police arrived at the scene, and the Northallerton dog's owners returned while officers were at the scene.