RSPCA officers are hunting a man who murdered a litter of newborn kittens by throwing them into the River Thames.

The man was seen throwing the box of kittens, along with an adult cat, into the river at Erith Pier, off James Watt Way, Erith, on Tuesday (July 3).

The pregnant cat landed on a ledge six foot down and was rescued by crew members from Gravesend RNLI and the RSPCA.

RSPCA inspector Ellen Thomas said: "The rest of the kittens had gone into the river and been swept downstream and drowned but she had managed to clamber onto a ledge as she was thrown in.

"The RNLI jumped over onto the stone ledge next to where the cat was and managed to use my grasper and scoop her up and put her into the basket.

"She didn't appear to have any injuries other than two old infected wounds on the back of her neck. She was extremely shocked."

The tortoiseshell and white cat was taken straight to a vet who revealed that she was pregnant and only days from giving birth, meaning that the kittens thrown into the Thames were not her own.

Inspector Thomas said: "It's just outright cruelty and completely inhumane and I think one of the most disturbing jobs I've dealt with.

"This man chose to murder a number of innocent lives. We hope that someone will know who this man is."

The cat is now in RSPCA care and will be looked after until she has her kittens, after then they will all be found loving homes.

Anyone with information should call the RSPCA in confidence on 0300 123 8018.