A fare-dodging ferret was rescued from the London Underground after a shocking adventure.

Nicknamed 'Sparkle', the white ferret was spotted and saved at Victoria Tube Station before the rush hour.

Officials from the RSPCA have shared that they are unsure if it had been abandoned by its owner or had gone missing.

The team added that it will be taken to Finsbury Park Animal Hospital where it will be given a health check and rehomed unless its owner comes forward.

Ilford Recorder: They named the lost ferret Sparkle.They named the lost ferret Sparkle. (Image: SWNS)

Ferret rescued from the London Underground

Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Mat Hawkins saved Sparkle on October 15 and shared that when he arrived: "the ferret was nowhere to be seen, there were plenty of holes for her to hide in."

He added: "I asked staff members to open the cupboard where the barriers fold into, and after a little wait the little ferret decided she’d quite like to be rescued after all and I caught her quite easily, she was clearly really tame and let me pick her up."

Discussing how she found her way onto the London Underground, Hawkins said: "She was either abandoned by her owner or had gone missing - it's difficult to say. We don’t know how long she’d been there, but it was at least three days.

Ilford Recorder: Sparkle was taken for a health check.Sparkle was taken for a health check. (Image: SWNS)

“We don’t pick up many abandoned ferrets, so this was unusual. But to care for these animals properly does take time as well as a bit of expertise.”

The RSPCA is currently facing the biggest rehoming crisis in recent memory, leaving rescue centres and branches “full to bursting” with more unwanted animals coming into care than are being adopted.

This comes at a time when seven in 10 people say they are not planning on getting a new pet.

To see if there are any animals you could provide a loving home, visit the RSPCA's website, or donate online or by calling their donation line on 0300 123 8181.