TWO pet rats were found dumped outside a shop in Brighton.

Staff at the A Coombs pet store in Baker Street found a carry cage outside their shop at about 5.30pm on Thursday and were shocked to discover the animals inside.

CCTV footage shows a man walk to the store with the container and leave it outside before walking away.

The RSPCA has taken the two male rats, one grey and white and one ginger and white, to a local animal centre where they will be looked after.

RSPCA Inspector Liz Wheeler said: “These two rats are healthy and friendly pet rats, so it is very strange to think that this man decided to abandon them.

“Sadly, we see a lot of unwanted pets abandoned like this, and it’s very upsetting to think that people consider dumping their pets to be an appropriate course of action when they can’t or don’t want to look after them anymore.

"Perhaps this man thought that by leaving the rats outside a pet shop, he was doing the right thing, but in reality, they could have been in real danger if they hadn’t been found quickly.”

The man responsible is described as white, with short, dark hair.

He wore a dark coloured baseball cap, a purple or red checked shirt, dark-coloured tracksuit trousers and black and white basketball trainers.

The number of abandoned animals taken in by the RSPCA peaked at 850 in June last year.

During summer 2017 more than 10,000 calls were made to the charity’s 24-hour emergency hotline about dumped pets, one every 12 minutes.

Inspector Wheeler added: “Abandoning pets should never be seen as a solution to a problem, and we are urging pet owners to take responsibility for their animals.

“When people take on a new pets, whatever that animal may be, they do need to research it, make sure it will suit their lifestyle and that they will be able to provide for it for the entirety of its life, however long that may be.”

Anybody with any information can contact Inspector Wheeler by leaving her a message on the RSPCA’s inspector’s appeal number on 0300 123 8018.