A three-month-only puppy who just “wanted to be cuddled” was left for dead with a broken leg in a rubbish-strewn alleyway near tram tracks.

Poppy, a black-and-white Lurcher cross, was found “distressed and in pain” after being abandoned behind a garden shed in Gurney Crescent, Waddon, on Sunday.

RSPCA animal collection officer Rosemary Leach said: “Poppy was found hiding behind a shed in a garden. This backed onto an alleyway full of rubbish and was near tram lines - both serious hazards for a young pup like this.

“The poor little thing was struggling to walk and could not put any weight at all on her rear left leg which later turned out to have a serious fracture.

“We don’t know how long she had been left there abandoned and alone but she was incredibly distressed and in pain.

“Despite this she was so friendly when I found her - all she wanted was to be cuddled.

“She really is a gorgeous little dog, everyone who has met her agrees, so it just melted my heart to see her like this.”

Poppy was taken to Putney Animal Hospital where x-rays found she has a tibial shaft fracture.

It will need treatment for at least a month.

Anyone with any information should is asked to call the RSPCA on 0300 123 8018.