Builders rescue seven abandoned puppies

Seven puppies abandoned on a roadside near a ditch have been rescued by a team of builders.

They were "terrified" and "cried out" when picked up, said Lloyd Winters, one of their rescuers.

The Cambridgeshire builders saw them on Tuesday curled up on the side of Hale Fen road in Littleport and stopped to help.

A vet examined the pups, who were between six and eight weeks old, and they were being looked after by Woodgreen Animal Shelter.

Mr Winter said he was driving down Hale Fen road and stopped after seeing the puppies "bunched up in a corner" on the roadside.

"We were trying to round the puppies up and we got a brick bag that was empty, so we were able to get them put in there with the help of two passers by," he added.

"As soon as you picked them up, they cried out. They didn't look very healthy."

All seven puppies were examined at a local vet

Dave Silcock, who runs D Silcock Construction, received a call from Mr Winter explaining why he had not reached the next job for the day.

"I said [to Mr Winter] 'don't worry about the work, we've got to look after these pups'," Mr Silcock said.

He added: "Unfortunately my dog passed [away] a couple years ago, so I had a dog crate in the shed, so I raced round there with a crate and a blanket."

They took the puppies to a local vet, who examined them and revealed they were between six and eight weeks old and had mange, a skin disease caused by mites.

"The puppies are now safe at Woodgreen Animal Shelter and being treated for their conditions," Mr Silcock said.