A COUPLE alerted the RSPCA when they found a soaking-wet terrier trapped in a mobile phone mast enclosure.

The sandy-coloured female dog was spotted in a gated area, which also contained live electricity transformers, off Atlas Street, Clayton-le-Moors.

The dog, believed to be around five years old, has been named ‘Electra’ by the charity’s inspectors.

She is now being treated by a vet after suffering from a urine infec- tion.

The animal charity is appealing for any witnesses to come forward, and for anyone who has any information about the dog, or its owners, to get in touch.

The RSPCA said it was likely she had been suffering from the infection before becoming trapped.

RSPCA inspector Charlotte Brook said: “She was found at around noon on Saturday by a couple who were walking through the area.

“She was soaking wet and they rang us straight away. We don’t know much about her at all because she wasn’t wearing a collar, and hasn’t got a microchip.

“She is recovering well at the vets at the moment.

“I expect a home to be found for her by the weekend if she is not claimed by her owners.

“The number of stray dogs has been rising nationally in the last year, and this trend has been replicated in East Lancashire as well.

“We rescued 37,000 animals across the country last year, which is a 30 per cent rise from the year before.

“We don’t know where she has come from and we don’t even know if she is actually a stray, or if she has just gone miss-ing from her home.

“She will be absolutely fine and has been recovering very well since the weekend.”