THE RSPCA has confirmed inspectors are now investigating the neglect and cruelty inflicted on a foal and a pony.

The animals were discovered on Thursday in a severe state of neglect.

The two male piebald ponies, which are believed to be around six-months-old and three-and-a-half years old, were 'left for dead' in the middle of a storm on a muddy road in Winwick.

Describing the scene as one of the most heartbreaking he has experienced in his 25-year career with the RSPCA, inspector Paul Heaton said: “I have seen a lot but this was horrifying.

“I can’t stop thinking about it. 

“The two ponies were left at the end of layby in the dark. They were emaciated and close to death.

"The person that had these horses pushed these poor animal off the back of the truck and onto the hard tarmac floor.

“Both horses were so weak they were unable to stand or move around.

“That person would have driven away knowing they were alive but the fate of both those animals was to die in a dark, cold lane alone."

He added: “It was cruelty in all ways but this was just the end of their horrific life.

“The state they were in it is obvious these animals had been failed in their basic care.

“They were so thin they obviously had not eaten properly for some time and were lacking in general care.

"They would have suffered a lot.

“As an inspector I know I will see things no normal person should see, but these jobs do not leave us, we wake up in the night thinking about them.

"This will be one of those instances for me."

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