THUGS tied a dog to a railway line and left it to be mutilated by a train, police said today.

A Railtrack employee discovered the corpse of the animal on a stretch of track on the Darwen side of Raikes viaduct, close to Bridge Street, Lower Darwen.

The animal was found with string around its front and rear legs and is believed to have been there for up to three weeks.

Police have conducted house to house enquiries in the Bridge Street for information about the incident.

The dog is described as brown, with long legs and a long face, possibly a greyhound or a lurcher. It had no identification tag or collar.

Today officers appealed for anyone with information to come forward and Sergeant Aidan Pickering, of the British Transport Police, said: "At this stage we have no further information and would appeal for anyone who who has information concerning this callous and cruel incident to come forward."

Anyone with information about the incident should telephone investigating officer PC Lorraine Faulkner free on 0800 40 50 40.