He called his girlfriend Charlotte Drablow, 24, who rushed to help him free the malnourished moggies that were trapped inside the engine with no hope of escaping.

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After rescuing the kitten, they took him to the vet where they were treated for feline flu as they both had a fever, runny eyes and nose, and they were drooling and sneezing.

The couple have now adopted the felines, which they named Garfield and Oldie, and are on the mend at their home in Wokingham, Berkshire.

Tommy said, “We crush hundreds of cars every day and line them up all ready for the crusher.

“As I passed the cars waiting to enter the crusher, I heard an unusual noise coming from one of the vehicles.

“I quickly realized he was meowing and I opened the hood of an old Ford Mondeo.”

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“I could see a little gray tabby kitten and further down inside the engine was another red tabby kitten that was well and truly stuck.

“The gray kitten was really stressed and hissed a lot, I think he was trying to protect his mate.”

The couple, who have a son, Hugo, 2, took the kittens to Harrison Family Vets in nearby Woodley so they can be checked.

Veterinarians diagnosed them with feline flu and gave them free antibiotics, eye ointments, and treatment for worms and fleas.

Charlotte said: “Both kittens were tiny and looked really sick. One of the baby kittens was stuck deep inside the engine and the other refused to leave it.

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“The two kittens were hissing at us because they were obviously very scared.

“We looked around to see if there were any other kittens in the other cars and we were hoping to find the mom, but there were only the two of them.”

Clinic director and veterinarian Ana Bonache said: “Feline flu can be serious in kittens, and both had the tell-tale symptoms of fever, runny eyes and nose and they were drooling and sneezing too.

“We were keen to help Charlotte as she had saved Garfield and Odie from a terrible fate and was going to provide them with a loving family home.”

Charlotte, a psychology and criminology graduate, said: “Since we brought them home they’ve improved so much.

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“My grandmother has been saving cats for years and is a real expert, so she walked us through the process, and they’ve gained weight and feel a lot better.

“They’re still joined at the hip, but I think they have a bit of a crush on me now as they follow me around the house.

“They are like a pair of little ducklings and treat me like their mom!”

ENDS