Rescued robin chicks were 'moments' from being crushed

The five "very hungry" chicks had been thrown in their nest into a skip

Five tiny chicks have been saved moments before their nest would have been crushed in a skip, rescuers said.

The intact nest - containing baby robins - was found discarded in an Essex skip by a worker last week.

They were "alive and very hungry", Sue Schwar, from South Essex Wildlife Hospital, near Grays, said.

She described the perpetrator as "cruel and heartless", but added that the birds were being cared for and were "doing well".

"Fortunately they were found moments before they were about to be crushed, and brought to us, where they are now safe and cared for along with many others that need our help," Ms Schwar added.

The nest containing the chicks was scooped out of the skip, put in a box and taken to the nearby wildlife hospital

The hospital reminded people that under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is a criminal offence to kill or injure any wild bird or to take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while the nest is in use, or being built.