A SWAN has been butchered in Bidford, according to a shocked dog walker.

Beverley Ryan, 68, of Middle Littleton, near Evesham, claims she stumbled across the terrible site of a bloody swan carcase on Friday, May 22.

She believes the bird was deliberately killed for its meat in an act of appalling cruelty.

The incident, which she discovered on country paths along the River Avon, near to the Cottage of Content pub in Welford Road, was reported to Warwickshire Police and is being investigated.

Mrs Ryan said: "It was a horrific sight.

"The swan was stretched out on its back at full length and the body was cut open.

"It was covered in blue bottle flies and there were feathers everywhere.

"Someone must have taken it from the river and slaughtered it."

She managed to move the carcase into vegetation at the side of the path, in an attempt to prevent children at nearby caravans from seeing the dead animal.

The discovery left her "very upset" and caused her trouble sleeping.

But she finally regained the courage to visit the area to walk her dogs again on Tuesday (June 9) and, to her horror, she came across another huge pile of swan feathers.

There was no carcase but the sight implied another bird had been killed.

Mrs Ryan said: "It is so upsetting and I just can't cope with it.

"I don't think I am going to walk there again.

"Whoever is doing this is doing it regularly, but nobody seems to care."

She is determined however to make a difference and is urging the public to help.

"I just feel people have got to keep an eye out", added Mrs Ryan.

"The more people who know about this, the more we can look out for the local wildlife."

The 68-year-old claims to have experienced a number of suspicious circumstances in Bidford recently.

Two days after finding the swan carcase, she says she saw two men in an army Land Rover shooting at a roadside grass verge with shotguns, while a man she met on the country lanes said a number of ducks had been killed in the area.

A spokesman for Warwickshire Police confirmed the force had been informed of the discovery of the swan carcase.

Officers are investigating the matter and working with other specialist agencies.

A spokesman for the RSPCA added: "Any allegation that a swan may have been killed or injured deliberately is a serious concern and should be reported to the RSPCA on 0300 1234999.

"This is so that the matter can be investigated further to determine whether it was due to a deliberate act carried out by a person, or whether an animal may have died naturally, before being predated upon by other wildlife."

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 makes it illegal to kill or injure a swan or disturb a swan’s nest and anyone convicted of such an offence can face up to six months in prison and a fine of up to £5,000.