Volunteers sought to hand-rear orphaned ducklings on Isle of Man

The ducklings, pictured under a heat lamp, will now need to be hand-reared until they are able to fly

Volunteers are being asked to come forward to help hand-rear orphaned ducklings on the Isle of Man.

Manx Wild Bird Aid made the plea after a mother duck and several offspring were run over and killed on a road in the west of the island.

After the incident was reported by a member of the public, six surviving ducklings were found nearby.

A charity spokesman said it now needed volunteers to rear the "adorable but extremely smelly and messy" birds.

The ducks were killed on the Poortown Road, which runs between St John's and Peel, on Saturday.

The charity, which rehabilitates sick, injured or orphaned wild birds, searched the hedgerows in the area and listened out for ducklings calling, eventually tracking down the surviving birds.

It said the ducklings would need to be kept warm under a heat lamp at first, before being transferred to a "safe outdoor space".

"Once they are fully feathered, can fly and look like adult ducks, they can be released," he added.