Severed deer's head left at New Forest church

The deer (not pictured) was decapitated and left at the church

The severed head of a deer has been left outside a New Forest church.

The discovery was made by a member of the public walking past the church in Lyndhurst on Wednesday morning.

The head, found dumped in the church porch, was taken away instantly and the area cleaned.

The New Forest has seen a spate of grim discoveries in recent years.

Warning: This story contains a graphic image that some readers may find upsetting.

In May a deer's head and upside down wooden cross was found on a memorial stone in Burley, a deer's head was also left among goods at a church food bank in 2021.

An inverted cross and the number 666 was painted on the door of the part-12th Century St Peter's Church in Bramshaw in November 2019

Sheep were also found fatally slashed and sprayed with a pentagon symbol in the village.

The severed head of a deer was found by a passer-by in a church porch on Wednesday morning