RSPCA warning after four seagulls 'deliberately' shot

Four seagulls have died after being shot with air guns in two Denbighshire towns.

Two birds have been found dead and a two more had to be put to sleep after being injured by air gun pellets, RSPCA Cymru said.

Describing the attacks as "upsetting and shocking," RSPCA inspector Jenny Anderton said they were "most likely to have been deliberate."

She urged anyone with information about the incidents to contact the charity.

The birds were all found in the Denbighshire towns of Prestatyn and Rhyl.

X-rays showed all four gulls had air gun pellets inside them.

"It is shocking to see these X-ray images and to think about how these poor gulls would have suffered from these unnecessary and mindless attacks," said Ms Anderton.

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 makes it an offence to kill or injure a wild bird without a licence.

Offenders can face unlimited fines and up to six months imprisonment.