A pair of rare polecat babies have been rescued and cared for in Leatherhead after they were found hiding under a car recently.

The pair of polecat babies or 'kits' were found sheltering underneath a car in a residential garden in Puttenham, Surrey.

Wildlife Aid Foundation (WAF), who are currently caring for the pair at their rescue centre in Leatherhead, said there had been no sign of the young ones' parents, putting them at immediate risk.

Surrey Comet: The pair were found hiding under a car in PuttenhamThe pair were found hiding under a car in Puttenham

"The baby animals – known as kits – had most likely wandered from their parents and become lost...There was no sign of the adult animals or a nearby burrow," a spokesperson for the WAF told the Surrey Comet.

"They were checked over by vets and found to be uninjured and in good condition.

"After some food and water, they were transferred to Ferret Rescue Surrey where they will be looked after with the aim of eventually releasing them back into the wild when they are old enough to fend for themselves," WAF added.

Surrey Comet: Polecats were almost hunted to extinction in the UK during the 1800s Polecats were almost hunted to extinction in the UK during the 1800s

Polecats are native to Eurasia and were almost persecuted to extinction in the UK by trappers and gamekeepers during the 1800s.

They have since made a recovery in Britain but are still considered a conservation risk in need of protection.

"By 1915, the species had become extinct across much of Britain and was confined to a small area of mid Wales," WAF described.

Cousins of the ferret and weasel, the small mammals feed on smaller rodents, birds, reptiles and amphibians.