DISTRAUGHT residents in Upper Arley were confronted with the sight of a "massacre" after more than 30 ducks were found dead in the road overnight.

The bodies of 34 ducks were found strewn across the road near the River Severn in the village on morning of Tuesday, September 19, with residents believing they had been run over by a motorist overnight.

A similar incident had occurred the previous month where the bodies of 15 ducks were found in the same place.

A spokesman for West Mercia Police said they were still trying to establish how the deaths occurred, while a spokesman from the RSPCA said the incident was distressing.

Stephen McLachlan, who runs Arley Riverside Tearoom, Post Office and General Stores, which is across the road from where the ducks were found, said: "We have been here for three months now and this was the second incident where ducks have been killed.

"It was 34 this time, and 15 were run over before. It shocked us a lot. I was told that it apparently happened last year too.

"What seems to have happened is someone has driven down the slip road by the river where the ducks sleep at night. There was a big line of ducks that had been run over.

"My wife saw them first, she came back very quickly and said there had been a massacre by the quayside.

"I was horrified when I saw. I said to my 11-year-old daughter you can't go out there - I didn't want her seeing that. I would have been concerned for any other youngsters to see that."

A spokesman from West Mercia Police said: "Officers were alerted by a member of the public to a report of 34 dead ducks in Upper Arley, near Bewdley, at 7.15am on Tuesday, September 19.

"We are still trying to establish how these sad deaths occurred and would like to hear from anyone who may have information or witnessed the incident."

A spokesman for the RSPCA added: "We are very concerned to hear that someone appears to be deliberately targeting wildlife in such a cruel way.

"Sadly, ducks are occasionally killed on the roads, however it seem very possible that whoever ran these ducks over did so intentionally.

"It is distressing to think that people take pleasure in causing harm to these beautiful and defenceless birds.

"We would also like to remind people that the use of any mechanically propelled vehicle in immediate pursuit of a wild bird for the purpose of killing or taking that bird is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act."

Anyone with information is asked to call West Mercia Police on 101, quoting incident reference number 060S of September 19.