SIX kittens have been dumped in a Hampshire ditch and it's feared three may have died in sub-zero temperatures.

Three of the six, abandoned at Twiggs Lane, Marchwood, were rescued by a dog walker and taken to Lymington Cat and Kitten Rescue.

The other three ran away from the woman's dog and have not been found.

Whoever dumped the six-week-old kittens has been branded "heartless" by Janette Frankland, who runs the rescue centre.

She said: "It was so callous to just dump them in a ditch - they weren't even in a box.

"The sad thing is that the three little ones still out there have little chance of making it. A fox will probably have got them or they will have perished in the cold."

Mrs Frankland believes that with Christmas quickly approaching someone panicked and decided that they could not look after them.

She explained that the three kittens taken to the rescue centre seemed well, but were very frightened.

They needed to adjust to warmer conditions as they had been out in freezing conditions when they should have been kept inside.

She added:"The kittens are assured of a happy Christmas with us. We will make sure they are looked after properly now, starting by giving them a Christmas dinner of chicken, and in the New Year we will hopefully find new homes for them."

The discovery of the abandoned kittens coincided with reports that a record number of dogs are being dumped in the run-up to Christmas.

Animal rescue centres say they are reaching "crisis point" with admissions up by 50 per cent compared to this time last year.

An RSPCA spokesman said: "Sadly it happens more frequently at this time of year as people who might be going away for Christmas or who have bought animals as presents want to get rid of them."

Deana Selby of the National Canine Defence League said: "We believe it is worse this year because of the threat of recession."