A REVELLER returning home from the pub discovered two kittens when he peered inside a taped-up cardboard box dumped in his front garden.

The kittens' bodies were covered with fleas and they were too terrified to utter any sounds.

Now recovering at Stockton Borough Council's animal welfare office, the pair are awaiting a new home.

Michelle Johnson, animal welfare officer, said the kittens were found in Gilmour Street, Thornaby, on Thursday night.

She said: "The man who discovered them was on his way back from the pub when he saw the box in a raised flower bed near the front of his flat.

"He couldn't explain why he decided to pick it up, but he did and he found these two kittens staring out at him.

"He took them into his flat overnight and contacted us the next day."

The kittens will stay at the welfare office until they have been treated for fleas and an owner found.

She added: "It's so cruel to do that to them because there are so many places for pet owners to ring if they can't cope these days."

* The Northern Echo's Animal Watch campaign was set up to highlight the region's appalling record of animal cruelty.