A man was stunned when council workers told him they would not pick up a cat he had just seen killed – because he had moved it to his front garden.
Gavin Mitchell, 30, saw the cat hit by a motorist as he left for work on Lytham Road, Fulwood.
He immediately called the cleansing team at Preston Council, but was told by two different workers that because he moved it on to his property it was no
w his responsibility and not the council's problem.
Telecom worker Gavin said: "I could not believe what I was hearing. I tried to do the right thing and give someone's pet a bit of dignity, and some of my neighbours have young children so I didn't want them seeing it.
"To call the council and get the reaction I did, well, I could not believe it.
"I even jokingly said to them 'would you come and get it if I threw it back in the road' and they just laughed and said they probably would.
"This is what you get for trying to be a good citizen."
After being called by the Evening Post, council bosses had a change of heart and agreed to collect the animal and to try and track down its owner.
A council spokesman apologised for the misunderstanding and said the workers Mr Mitchell spoke to had been following procedures to the letter of the law.
He said that officers spoke to Mr Mitchell Friday afternoon to arrange a time to collect the animal, after the incident earlier in the morning.
The spokesman said: "Preston Council will remove dead animals from the highway within operating hours, between 8am-4pm.
"If the animal is fitted with an ID chip or collar we will contact the owners.
"If residents remove an animal from the highway to prevent the public from seeing it, contact the council and we will arrange removal."
The full article contains 324 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
