A pair of pigs were found tied to a lamppost by their necks after being dumped on the roadside.

A motorist spotted the distressed animals on Tuesday evening near Ivychurch Road in New Romney and was able to cut them loose.

They were abandoned and had baling twine wrapped around their necks, with the possibility of being strangled to death if they had been left much longer.

Their rescuer, who was on his way home from work, noticed the animals needed saving and took them home.

"I was surprised more than anything," he said.

"I could see that they were scared as it was windy and cold. Luckily I had plenty of stuff in my car to help set them free."

The man brought the two pigs back to his house, where he kept them overnight, before handing them over to The Lord Whisky Sanctuary in Stelling Minnis, near Canterbury where staff believe the pair are micropigs.

The hero of the hour told KentOnline that he and his family enjoyed having the pigs there but they would not be able to keep them permanently.

"We kept the pigs in a cage in our front room overnight. They were a bit noisy but extremely cute.

"They loved a fuss and the kids were fascinated with them," he added.

"We noticed that one of them loved having its stomach being tickled."

The family took care of the pigs for the night before handing them over to the sanctuary on Wednesday morning.

The animals were checked over at The Lord Whisky Sanctuary, where they will be looked after until ready to be re-homed.

Although it is hard to tell at this stage if they are piglets or micropigs, staff at the centre believe the animals are micropigs.

"We want to keep an eye on them to make sure that they are healthy, then we hope to look for some nice homes for them," said founder of the charity, Margaret Todd.

"We don’t get that many pigs brought in to us, but they are becoming very popular because of how cute they are."

More animals than ever are being handed in to the sanctuary, where the situation with Lurchers in particular, is getting out of hand.

"We are getting so many animals now, it’s very sad. We just advise that people really think about it before they take them on," she added.