Dorchester: Teens with catapults kill 20 birds in town

Police said more than 20 dead birds were found in the Mill Stream (pictured) and River Frome area

A group of teenagers have used catapults to kill more than 20 birds in recent weeks, a council meeting heard.

Ducks have been fatally injured on the River Frome in Dorchester, Dorset, and seagulls have been targeted in the town's Brewery Square.

The group was also seen luring birds with bread into the path of oncoming cars, Dorchester Town Council was told.

Police said they have increased patrols after the discovery of the birds' bodies.

The teenage boys are also believed to have used the catapults to smash floodlights at the town's rugby club.

Seagulls have been targeted in Brewery Square

Mayor Alistair Chisholm said he was appalled to hear about the behaviour of school-age children across the town but said plans were under way for additional CCTV cameras which might, in time, act as a deterrent.

Mr Chisholm encouraged people to report the attacks.

"If the police are not informed there is little that they can do," he said.

"I am sure, with their limited resources, that they are trying to do something."

Dorset Police said it had already increased patrols in the area around Mill Stream and the River Frome after the dead birds were found.