THE RSPCA has defended itself against criticism by a Broadway man unhappy about the way the society dealt with his report of ferrets he discovered in distress.

John Barton, who runs Broadway Ferret Rescue, hit out at the animal charity, claiming he had to take matters into his own hands to rescue the ferrets he said were being kept in poor conditions.

Mr Barton paid £5 for each ferret - contrary to his normal non-payment policy - so he could begin their return to health.

The RSPCA said it had intended to investigate the matter, after it had been brought to its attention by Mr Barton, but did not act straight away, because the ferrets' lives were not in immediate danger.

Mr Barton, who is a member of the RSPCA and chairs Worcestershire Ferret Welfare Society, said he had found 32 ferrets being kept in cramped cages and reported it on Wednesday, September 4.

"That's when I phoned the cruelty line," he explained, adding he talked to a woman operator. "She took all the details, quite happily, and said an inspector would be sent out."

Mr Barton said he pointed out that he had several contacts he could foster ferrets out to.

"So, everything was fine but, by Friday morning, I hadn't heard a word," he went on, "On the morning of Friday, September 6, I phoned up the hotline again and said 'could you please tell me what's been happening?'

"I was told, basically, to mind my own business and that, as an RSPCA member, I had no preferential treatment. I was not a happy chap." He added: "I said I was going to do something myself."

That led him to pay £5 per ferret to the man who had them. "It was pure desperation," he said, adding: "When I got there on the Friday morning, we only found 19 kits (young ferrets) and two adults.

Helen Briggs, a press officer for the RSPCA, said: "We were acting. We were concerned about what was happening to these ferrets.

"An inspector had been asked to go and check them out but, because the ferrets weren't actually dying, he did not go out immediately. It was on his list of things to do."

Mr Barton said the ferrets were recovering well at his rescue centre.