THIS little critter nearly came a cropper after he was thrown out with the rubbish.

The ferret was just seconds away from being crushed when he was found in the bottom of a wheelie bin by startled Wealden District Council staff in Crowborough.

Kevan Fitzmorris, one of the refuse and recycling crew that found the ferret, said: “We felt something was not right with the bin which was had not been properly closed. When we looked inside, we saw a ferret next to the small cage which it had been left in. It was looking desperate. The first thing we did was to gave it some water.”

Wealden Will has now been adopted by a member of staff at the Jarvis Brook depot.

Colin Pateman, Wealden District Council’s animal welfare officer said: “If people have pets they are no longer able to care for, they should contact the RSPCA or another animal welfare charity. They should not just think that pets can be thrown away like a piece of rubbish when they are no longer wanted.”