A HAMPSHIRE village resident spotted a pile of pigeons which had been killed by a "catapult" when walking on a country walk.

Charlotte Hughes, from Braishfield was walking along Eldon Road, Braishfield when she stumbled across a pile of 12 pigeons that had been killed.

She described the area as "local" area and that "stuff like this doesn't tend to happen".

Charlotte took to a Facebook group for information and a local farmer messaged Charlotte.

He said: "I've just been up there and picked them all up. Looks like they've been shot by a catapult.

"If anyone has seen them being dumped or has a idea of who it could be please send me a message."

Charlotte, 22, said: "Me and my boyfriend were taking the dog out for a walk and we just saw a pile of pigeons.

"It was obvious they had been shot so I popped it on Facebook to see if anyone knew anything.

"It really stresses me out because I am a vegetarian and I think if you are going to kill something, put it to good use and don't just chuck it."

She added: "I think people probably did it for fun as it was dumped. If someone did it for shooting they would have done something with it."

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: “This must have been a very distressing find.

"We encourage anyone with information about animal cruelty to report through the RSPCA cruelty line on 0300 1234 999 or to Police."

Test Valley Borough Council and Hampshire police were unable to provide a comment as the incident was not reported.