A FAMILY were horrified after they saw a driver throwing kittens out of a car window as it hurtled down dual carriageway.

Matthew Tyler, 31, said his wife and four-year-old son were hysterical as they witnessed the sickening act on Southmayne in Pitsea at about 5pm on Saturday.

Drivers narrowly avoided crashing as they swerved to avoid the animals thrown from the moving vehicle.

Three of the four kittens died but Mr Tyler managed to save one from the side of the road and took it to the PDSA pet hospital in Vange where it is recovering.

He said: “What I witnessed was absolutely disgusting, my wife and son were in hysterics.

“The people who did this need to be found.”

Earlier in the day another member of the public discovered ten kittens and their mother taped up inside a cardboard box, dumped at the side of the A127 in Crays Hill.

It is not known if the two incidents are linked.

Mr Tyler and his family, who live in Bowers Gifford, left Tesco at Hazelmere, Pitsea at about 5pm on Saturday.

Echo: Recovering - the eight-week-old male kitten with vet Rachel Scott 

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Rescued: Similar kittens found taped in a box along the A127. It is not known if the two incidents are linked.

He said: “I drove on to the main A13 roundabout where I had to swerve quickly to avoid a kitten.

“I then proceeded on to the A132 where kittens were being chucked from a car every 100 metres or so.

“Sadly three were killed.

“I went back to the roundabout and managed to save one poor little mite that was luckily still alive, and took him to the PDSA.

“They monitored him and gave him pain relief.

“Because I was busy swerving kittens and my wife was in hysterics we didn't manage to get the details of the car the kittens were being thrown from.

“It was a couple of cars in front of us.

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“But I am pleading with anyone that saw this sick act or knows anything to contact the police.”

The PDSA confirmed that the remaining kitten is alive and is recovering with one of the hospital’s vets.

Anyone with information should contact Essex Police on 101.