Charity may have to put down pets

The sanctuary is home to 323 animals, including dogs, cats, goats and ponies

Unwanted animals at Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary may have to be put down unless enough money can be raised to keep it going, the charity has warned.

The sanctuary in Stadhampton was set up in 1967 and currently cares for 323 unwanted pets in need of new homes.

The charity said it had seen a fall in donations during the recession and was also receiving more abandoned animals.

Trustee Debbie Heath, who said the sanctuary needed to raise £15,000 to stay open, asked for people to help.

She said legacies had dried up in the past few years, so the charity had been relying on its cash reserves.

Manager Ron Heath said: "We are getting to the stage now where, unless we start getting some serious funds in, we could go bust."

The sanctuary said its policy was not to put any animals down, but if it had to close it could be forced to do that.