TWO kittens are lucky to be alive after being shoved in a carrier bag and dumped beside a Hampshire road.

The tiny creatures were abandoned in the middle of nowhere in an act condemned as "barbaric" by the New Forest couple who found them.

Roger and Teresa Colvin were returning to their home at Emery Down, near Lyndhurst, when they spotted the kittens.

Mrs Colvin said: "It was pitch dark but we saw them in our headlights and stopped the car.

"One of the kittens had escaped from the bag and was wandering on to the road. He came straight over so I scooped him up while Roger rescued the other one.

"They were screaming and their hearts were thumping - they felt as if they were going to explode in our hands."

The couple took the kittens home and gave them some food.

Mrs Colvin added: "They obviously hadn't been fed for a while and were absolutely starving but once they realised they were safe they settled down and went to sleep."

"If we hadn't come along they could easily have been run over or killed by foxes.

"I can't imagine why anyone would dump two tiny and defenceless creatures beside a road. I don't know how they can sleep at night."

Mr and Mrs Colvin took the kittens to the Midforest Veterinary Practice in Lyndhurst, where they were named Spooky and Pumpkin.

A Midforest spokesman said: "The kittens, who were only a few weeks old, had both been cruelly abandoned and would have died of cold and starvation if they hadn't been rescued.

"They were given a full kitten health check by the vet, Dr Colleen Bray, who treated them for severe flea infestation.

"They soon perked up and became full of fun, delighting the staff with their playfulness and enjoying the love and attention lavished on them."

The kittens, who were dumped on Halloween Night, have been found a good home.

Yesterday they were collected by their new owners, Luke Jack, his partner Lizzie Cronin and their three-year-old daughter Milly, of Freemantle, Southampton.