More pets abandoned at Christmas

Hundreds of animals in the region need homes

More animals have been abandoned over the Christmas holiday period in the East Midlands than ever before, according to the RSPCA.

Calls about abandoned pets were up by more than 60%, animal welfare officials told BBC News.

Five guinea pigs were abandoned on Sunday in woodland near Oxton in Notts, but later rescued by a walker.

The RSPCA received 125 calls about abandoned pets in the East Midlands this Christmas compared to 77 in 2006.

The biggest rise was in Derbyshire where 46 calls were received compared to 15 a year ago.

The number of calls in Nottinghamshire rose from 17 to 24 and in Leicester from 25 to 32.

In Lincolnshire the number of abandonment calls almost tripled from 13 to 30.