Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary staff have rescued a cat and her four kittens after they were dumped in Haslingden.

A cyclist found a lone kitten on Commerce Street, near to the busy A56 bypass, and rang the sanctuary.

Cat rescuer Rosie Allan raced down and collected four kittens but couldn’t capture the mum cat.

They appealed for help and a woman trapped the mum who has now been reunited with her babies at the Edenfield sanctuary.

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Sanctuary manager Karen Weed said: “The black kittens were found dumped in a wooden area in a bag near a main road and one of them had wandered out.

"We think that they had been there a few days in the bag and the mum is needing extra treatment after being in the sealed bag which she managed to open.

“A cyclist rang the sanctuary after finding the kitten and thankfully someone was able to collect the kittens but the mum got away.

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“After a day or two, a lovely lady managed to trap the mum, who was only around 18 months old, and brought her to the sanctuary to reunite them although the mum is very weak and on a drip.

“Whoever dumped them was so cruel, especially if the bag was sealed, and it was close to a road and, if they had been there much longer, they could have all been run over. They are thankfully all safe with us now.”