A six week old kitten has been found dumped in a Tooting homeware shop.

Betty was found in the gardening section of Wilko in Mitcham Road by a customer who alerted staff after hearing tiny meows.

Marion Terry, 20, is a customer assistant at Wilko and told of their shock upon finding Betty.

“When we first found the kitten she was understandably frightened as it was a busy lunchtime in our store," she said.

"I picked her up and put her in our staffroom.

"She was soon purring and fell asleep on my colleagues arm."

The kitten, who is in good health, is currently being looked after by pet charity Blue Cross rehoming centre in Oxfordshire, and will go up for rehoming after the age of eight weeks.

Eve Brant, a veterinary and operational supervisor at Blue Cross said: “Betty should still be with her mum and litter mates. She must have had such a scare being dumped in a busy store surrounded by strange smells and noises.

“She’s lapping up the cuddles from our team here and I’m sure it won’t be long until she’s loving life in a new home.

“With the weather warming up it’s really important to make sure your cat is neutered and microchipped as they will be more inclined to roam.

“Every year we take in many unwanted litters of kittens and strays and it is important to know that very young cats and siblings are likely to produce a litter if not neutered.”