A PET shop owner has been left fuming after six newborn kittens were dumped outside her store in the pouring rain this morning.

The box was left on the doorstep of Mays Pets in Mays Lane just after 9am by a man captured on CCTV wearing a grey hooded top.

An employee found the cats about 15 minutes later in the box, which had been soaked through by the driving rain.

RSPCA officers have now collected the cats, described by shop owner Denise Bagge as “too young to be taken from their mum”, along with the video.

She said: “This is such an irresponsible thing to do, these cats could have died. They're so young.

“We don't have the facilities to care for these cats, we were already at capacity. I feel really sorry for the mum as she has had her kittens taken away from her far too early.

“This person needs to be held responsible for what they've done.”

She added in 21-years at the store she had one previous incident like this, when live hamsters were posted through the letterbox of the store one evening.

Sue Royal, a spokesman for the RSPCA, said the kittens were about five weeks old but were in good health and had been taken to the Southridge Animal Centre in Potters Bar.

She added: “It's extremely irresponsible what this person has done. There are a lot of free neutering services around now, including from the RSPCA, so there's no need for unwanted litters.”

The kittens will be put up for adoption when they are deemed ready.