Pet shelter swamped over holidays

Puppies were even abandoned in the snow

An animal shelter in County Down has been "swamped" with unwanted pets left over the Christmas holidays.

Staff at the Assisi Animal Sanctuary in Bangor say 60 dogs need homes, including puppies found abandoned in the recent snow.

The shelter's manager, Heather Oliver, says "things have just been hectic".

"Christmas is a time when elderly people succumb to bad weather - to colds, to flues - and we would also have a lot of older pets," she added.