THESE four black and white kittens, too young to be separated from their mother, have been dumped at a Worcester veterinary surgery.

Susanna Morel, of Lowesmoor House Veterinary Centre, said the flea-ridden kittens were only about four weeks old and should still be fed by their mother.

It is the second time within a fortnight the surgery has had to deal with abandoned kittens.

"It's extraordinary that this has happened twice," said Mrs Morel.

"A week before, a 10-week old kitten was left on our doorstep in a sealed box with no air holes, although it appeared to have been well looked after.

"This time the kittens were brought in by a man who claimed to have found them by the canal. It was in the middle of a busy surgery and he rushed off before we could get more details."

The kittens have been handed over to Cats Protection and will be hand-reared by a volunteer.

A spokesman said they had more than 30 cats in care and another 19 waiting to be taken in, but they did not re-home cats between Friday, December 7 and Monday, January 7.

"All the resources are over-strained at the moment and virtually all the animal rescue places are full, but if it's urgent we try to do something about it," she said, adding that Cats Protection also offers a free neutering service.