Five tiny kittens have been rescued after they were discovered dumped at the side of a road.

A dog walker alerted the Scottish SPCA after finding the felines "cruelly abandoned" and "huddled together" at the base of a tree by the Bathgate hills last weekend.

The kittens are now being hand-reared at the charity's animal rescue and rehoming centre in Balerno, Edinburgh.

Inspector Jenni Surgeon said: "The kittens were terrified but fortunately they are now safe and sound thanks to a vigilant dog walker.

"We are now searching for the person who cruelly abandoned these defenceless kitties at such a cold time of the year.

"This isn't the first time kittens have been abandoned at the Bathgate hills, there was a similar incident in April 2015, but there is every chance this is unrelated."

Abandoning an animal is an offence under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 and anyone found guilty of doing so can expect to be banned from keeping animals for a fixed period or life.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.