Two kittens were shut in a plastic box and left to die in a bush.

Jimmy and George were dumped in bushes near to the RSPCA Woodside Animal Centre, in Scudamore Road, Leicester, and were found by a worker at a nearby factory.

RSPCA staff think they had been in the box for several days.

Centre manager Lisa Smith said: "It was only because one of the workers was so alert and found them and brought them to us that they are safe.

"Otherwise they could have been there a lot longer and this would have been a completely different story.

"If there was food in there, it was gone and there was no water. The poor things must have been terrified."

Jimmy and George have now been re-homed, but Lisa said cats and kittens were being dumped almost every day.

Earlier this month, a cat and her kittens were found dumped in a sealed cardboard box in the Saffron Lane estate.

Lisa said: "It's still going on and it's putting such a strain on our resources."

Anyone with information about animals being dumped should call the centre on 0116 224 2434.