A COLONY of Giant African Land Snails dumped in the boot of an abandoned car has found sanctuary in a wildlife rescue centre in Calne.

PC Alfie Ansell discovered the snails on a Tuesday night earlier this month when he was investigating a car dumped in a lay-by in Charlcutt. The boot was filled with soil and rubbish and 14 unusually large snails, some as big as a fist.

He rang Tom Baker, the manager of Calne Wild Bird and Animal Rescue Centre, in Stockley Lane, who quickly identified the creatures.

Mr Baker, said: "If they'd just been left without food or moisture they would eventually have dried up and slowly withered away.

"Under the law invertebrates don't have any rights so I don't know what the RSPCA would do if they got hold of whoever left them. It's not illegal but it's immoral."

PC Ansell said: "You hear stories and read articles but it's very unusual to find anything like that in the boot of a car.

"I couldn't release them because they were clearly not indigenous and I couldn't leave them because they would have just died."