AN amphibian drama has sent a Swindon street hopping mad.

Hundreds of frogs and their spawn were left dumped in the middle of Burbage Road in Penhill, prompting a mass rescue operation by residents to clear the critters from the road.

Mum-of-three Kim Seymour watched the ensuing panic and helped fellow neighbours divert traffic away from the road to avoid squishing the hapless water-loving creatures.

Others, in scenes almost reminiscent of a Benny Hill sketch, tried to gather as many of the frogs as possible and get them to safety.

"It was all very odd," said the 24-year-old.

"A big black bag was left in the middle of the road, and stuff was spilling out of it - it looked as if the road was hopping, I have never seen anything like it.

"When I went out there, there were what seemed like hundreds of frogs.

"People were already out there picking them up and getting them off the road so the poor things didn't get run over.

"I went to help stop the traffic, from coming up the road.

"The frogs were hopping all over the place.

"I think some of them were mating too, because a few were on top of each other, and there was frogspawn all over the place.

"I didn't want to pick any of it up, it looked horrible."

Youngsters also joined in the rescue operation, including Kim's children, Megan-Rose, six, Ella, four and little 11-month-old Bobby, although they found it difficult to catch the slimy fast-movers.

According to neighbours the bag was left behind in the middle of the road by two youths, who had been seen carrying it.

When the bag split they apparently made a run for it, leaving their living cargo behind. Kim believes that there may have been as many as three or four hundred frogs in the bag.

Many escaped into Penhill but others were rescued and placed in a paddling pool while residents figure out what to do with them.

Others were not so fortunate. About 10 died when they went under a car tyre, another 30 died from the shock of being in the plastic bin bag and another ended up under the foot of a passer-by. "Now that we have rescued them, we sort of feel responsible for them, but we have no idea what to do with them," said Kim.

"I can't believe anyone would try to collect so many frogs this way, it seems so cruel. "There were absolutely loads of them.

"There were probably about 100 of them in the paddling pool that we rescued alone."

Residents called the RSPCA but no-one from the organisation has visited the road yet.