Horrified residents fear ducklings could be killed after a gang of young boys carried out a string of attacks on the feathered creatures.

Retired police officer Chris Sparks first confronted the "feral" thugs at 9pm on Saturday, June 29, as they pelted the birds with stones behind his home in Tonford Lane.

The same group returned to the Great Stour on Monday, July 1, and Wednesday, July 3, to terrorise the defenceless baby ducks.

Thugs using slingshots and air rifles are thought to have killed a number of helpless birds – including ducklings, pigeons and moorhens – along the Stour in May.

Two weeks prior to that, several others were found dead along a section of the river which runs through Westgate Gardens in St Peter’s Street.

And Mr Sparks fears the same could happen in Thanington.

“Sadly, more and more frequently I’m seeing groups of boys, armed with stones and hunting in packs, targeting ducklings,” said the 63-year-old.

“For the life of me I can’t understand why you would do that – what on earth comes into the heads of these boys?

“As a young lad I got up to mischief, but if I went to my friends and said we’re going to hurt and terrorise some small animals, they’d have said to me I was sick.”

Following the spate of the bird killings earlier this year, Canterbury City Council stepped up patrols in Westgate Gardens.

Wildlife enthusiast James Cosgrove also decided to take action and invited residents to join a team of volunteers dedicated to protecting the city's waterfowl.

In a similar vein, Mr Sparks has ordered a body camera to wear when he confronts the youths, who he thinks are aged between 12 and 15.

“The residents here do what we can to nurture and protect the birds, but these feral kids come down here and try to destroy it,” he continued.

“It’s a lovely spot, it’s enjoyed by families and I’m so lucky to live here. But this is ruining the quality of my life because I’m having to go out there to confront these boys.

“Many people walk past them because it’s become normalised.

“I feel stick to my stomach and angry as there’s nothing I can do. The police are too busy because they’ve got too much on and the council doesn’t have the capacity to do anything.”

Mr Sparkes says four more attacks on birds were carried out by different groups of children near the Tonford footbridge over the previous two years.

Police investigations into the incidents are ongoing. A spokesman said officers will work with nearby schools and youth clubs to try to tackle the problem.

Council spokesman Rob Davies added: “We share Mr Sparks's worries about the targeting of ducks and other birds along the Stour.

“It's a matter that concerns us greatly and the response of the public to our plea for information a few weeks ago when something similar happened in the Westgate Gardens was overwhelming.

"We would urge anybody with any information to urgently contact Kent Police on 101."

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