Probe after 30 swans found 'shot'

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A 30-strong flock of swans has been found dead, apparently shot, three days after they arrived on a lake in Beds.

Police and the RSPB have begun an inquiry to trace the killer.

Police said the carcasses of the mute swans, which were last seen on Radwell Lake near Baldock, were found in a freshly-dug pit in the morning.

Railway workers carrying out work on nearby tracks said they had watched and fed the birds but reported the matter after noticing they had disappeared.

RSPB workers, who found the remains of the swans close to the lake, believe the birds were shot.

Bedfordshire Police said a vet was examining the birds to establish the cause of death.

Anyone found guilty of killing one [a swan] could be fined up to £5,000 or go to prison for six months RSPB spokesman

Swans are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

An RSPB spokesman confirmed the lake was purpose-built for legal shoots to take place.

The spokesman said: "At certain times of year it is perfectly legal to shoot some water fowl and what you have here is someone who has built the lake for that and groups of people visit it for shoots.

"Anyone found guilty of killing one [a swan] could be fined up to £5,000 or go to prison for six months."

Anyone with information should contact the Bedfordshire Police or the RSPB.