Five helpless newborn kittens wrapped in a carrier bag and thrown into a bramble bush were rescued after a passer-by heard their squeaks.

The "tiny little balls of fluff" - just two days old - would have faced certain death if their desperate miaows had not alerted a woman walking by in South Norwood.

The "completely vulnerable" litter of three black and two grey kittens is now being hand-reared by RSPCA volunteers. 

The woman rescued the miniature moggies using hedgecutters after finding them near Harrington Road tram stop on Sunday.

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The camera-shy "little balls of fluff" are being reared by volunteers

RSPCA inspector Nick Wheelhouse said: "A passer-by happened upon these tiny little kittens in a bramble bush by pure chance. 

“She said she heard movement and tiny miaows, then looked into the bush and saw the plastic bag moving and squeaking, and knew there were kittens inside. 

"She couldn’t reach them so had to come back with hedgecutters in order to get into the bush to reach and rescue them.

“We don’t know how these little animals got so deeply stuck into this bush. It was near a tram stop, and tram lines, so potentially someone who was either about to get on a tram or had just got off.

"They were so deep inside the bush that I suspect someone had thrown them with some force."

Kittens are blind for about seven to 10 days after birth and are not usually ready to leave their mothers for about eight weeks.

Inspector Wheelhouse said: “The baby cats are very lucky to have been found - at that age there is no way they would have survived in such a spot on their own. 

“As it is they are too young to be without their mum, and are having to be hand-reared by volunteers. They are just tiny little balls of fluff - completely vulnerable and in need of care."

The kittens are too young to be rehomed yet but the RSPCA is confident they will later be adopted.

Inspectors are appealing for anyone with information about who dumped them to report it by calling 0300 123 8018.

Inspector Wheelhouse said: “We urge anyone who saw anything suspicious at all to call us.”