ELEVEN puppies have been left orphaned for Christmas after being dumped in a cardboard box when they were just four weeks old.

The puppies were handed in to the front desk of Accrington police station by someone who said they had been found near the rear of the Britannia Inn pub, Nuttall Street, although the landlord had no knowledge of the discovery.

The find came as the RSPCA shelter in Altham warned about the dangers of giving and receiving pets at Christmas - and said it had stopped rehoming animals until the New Year to deter the practise.

The six male and five female puppies, thought to be Labradors crossbred with Staffordshire bull terriers are now being cared for at Aspen Valley Boarding Kennels and Cattery, Oswaldtwistle.

Partner Georgina Allen said: "They are being hand-fed with puppy milk.

"Over the next week we'll start to wean them but I don't think they'll be ready for adoption for at least another three or four weeks."

Sergeant Ian Corbett said: "We get stray dogs and cats handed in all the time but this is an unusual case, as there are so many of them and so young too."

Figures from the RSPCA indicate the organisation is anticipating more than 50 cats and dogs will be handed in to centres every day, during December.

Last year, the RSPCA received more than 1,500 cats and dogs at its centres in England and Wales during December.

Ken Harrison, manager of Altham RSPCA, said: "It's bad enough that they've been abandoned just before Christmas, but if they've been left outside in this weather, they could have died.

"It was a heartless act. "The puppies may be cute and tug on the heartstrings, and I'm sure lots of people will look at them and want one.

"But people should be aware that a pet is a lifetime commitment and if they're not prepared for that, they shouldn't consider adopting one."

Anybody interested in giving the puppies a home should contact Aspen Valley on 01254 233702.