Parking warden Wayne Cherry has been dubbed ‘Doctor Dolittle’ by his workmates after saving four stray kittens from within a whisker of being run-over.
Mr Cherry, a Hillingdon parking enforcement officer for APCOA Parking, came to the rescue of the five-week old kittens while out and about on his scooter in New Road, Harlington.
The fluffy creatures wandered out into the middle of the road just as Mr Cherry was driving past them, narrowly escaping being hit.
He rounded up all the kittens, put them in a small front garden of a nearby house and was given a box to keep them in by car and van hire company Europcar based in the same road.
“I have stumbled across many things as a civil enforcement officer, but it was a no-brainer to help save these four stray kittens,” Mr Cherry said.
He radioed through to his basecamp who sent a message to Hillingdon Council to send help. Once collected, the kittens were later rehoused at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in Old Windsor, where they remain.
Some of the cute animals have already been reserved by families and the centre is confident it will not be long before all the kittens have a new home.
Hillingdon councillor Keith Burrows said: “This is a heart-warming story and shows a softer side to our parking enforcement officers, who are often given a hard time for making sure the borough’s roads run as smooth as possible. It’s nice to hear when a good deed has been done, so well done to Wayne.”
The kittens are not the first pet rescue Mr Cherry has made during his working day.
A few years ago he came to the aid of six ducklings who had become lost and ended up in Cornwall Road, Uxbridge. He managed to guide them all back to safe water.
