AN RSPCA inspector has spoken of his disgust after dead pets wrapped in bin bags were found dumped at a children’s play park.

A shorthaired, female black and white Bordie Collie-type dog and a black cat were found in separate black bin bags discarded in bushes near a popular public park off Wakenshaw Road, Gilesgate, Durham City.

The horrifying discovery was made on Saturday, August 1 by a member of the public, who took the animals to a vet and the RSPCA were called.

The animals were not microchipped and did not have collars. Due to their condition when found, no more distinguishing features could be identified.

John Lawson, the RSPCA deputy chief inspector for County Durham and Cleveland, said: “I’ve done this job for 12 years and it still disheartens me that people can treat their pets as rubbish and just throw them out.

“This find was at a children’s play park and the animals are the stereotypical family pets. It really irritates me that this still happens.”

The RSPCA has made inquiries in the area but it is still unknown how the animals died.

Mr Lawson is appealing to anyone with information to come forward and call RPSCA Inspector Kaye Smith on 0300-1234-999.

Northern counties still regularly top the “league table” of RSPCA cruelty prosecutions, with 100 people convicted in County Durham alone during 2013.

The county was the second worst area in the country for animal cruelty last year, with 277 cases leading to 83 convictions.

Mr Lawson said dead pets being dumped in this way was something he came across “all too often”, with owners of large animals, such as horses, in particular guilty of simply discarding their furry friends.

He urged pet owners to take their animals to a vet at the first sign of any illness or if they die at home. The animal can then be cremated, with their ashes returned to the family if desired.

“It’s the last decent thing you can do for your animals as a pet owner,” he said.