Five rabbits dumped in box at Swillington allotments

The pets were left at the entrance to allotments in Swillington

Five rabbits found dumped in a cardboard box on an allotment were so unwell they had to be put down, the RSPCA has said.

The pets were found at the entrance to the Swillington Lane Allotments near Leeds, West Yorkshire, on Saturday.

An RSPCA inspector who collected the creatures took them to a vet, but they were all terminally ill with suspected myxomatosis and were put down.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the charity.

Insp Natalie Taylor said: "They were in a horrendous state, with swelling and redness to their eyes, awful discharge coming from their eyes, and respiratory problems.

The five rabbits were found in this cardboard box

"I'm certain they'd lost their eyesight due to the disease being left untreated."

She added: "These poor rabbits should have been taken to a vet immediately when their symptoms first started.

"However, they've clearly been left to suffer and then abandoned at their most vulnerable when they desperately needed help, it's heartbreaking."

Anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area on Saturday is being asked to contact the RSPCA.