IT'S only when you read about individual RSPCA volunteers like Lindsay Atherton that you realise the scale of animal cruelty.

Lindsay, from Farnworth, looks after hundreds of rabbits each year after owners have abandoned them, or worse.

She is one of a whole army of volunteers in the Bolton area who regularly care for pets that other people have treated callously.

Our local animal charities do a remarkable job and deserve our support.

As for those who hurt or neglect animals, locked in a hutch and left to fend for themselves sounds about right.