A mum and her two children were shocked to discover the bodies of three mutilated birds while at a beach in Thanet.

Warning: Graphic photos which may be distressing

Nicola Zaunekker, of Fairfield Road, Ramsgate, was out exercising with Harry, 13, and Ruby, 15, when they stumbled across the horrific findings floating in the tidal pool at Western Undercliff, Ramsgate.

She said: "My children were playing in there and one of them saw something - we fished it out and it was a racing pigeon, but it looked like it had a pellet in its head, and hadn't long been in the water because it was still warm.

"We then saw the chicken, which we were all shocked about because you don't expect to see a chicken on the beach. When I fished that out it had actually had its neck snapped.

"There was a third pigeon and it had had its breasts completely cut off."

As a family who have their own pigeons and chickens at home, the Zaunekkers were horrified at the sight of the dead birds.

Mrs Zaunekker checked the racing pigeon's wings for contact details in the hopes of contacting its original owner but there were none.

She said: "It's vile - my kids get up in the morning to feed our chickens, we've had them all since eggs.

"They're amazing creatures and it's so cruel for someone to have done that.

The 42-year-old added: "For someone to do this it makes my blood boil, it really upset me.

"At the end of the day, if you can't look after them then release them onto the street, you don't need to do that to them."

On finding the remains, she picked them up and moved them to the communal bins, so other people using the beach and tidal pool would not stumble across them.

Despite this stretch of coastline usually offering peace and quiet away from the busier beaches of Thanet, Mrs Zaunekker said she had noticed a rise in antisocial behaviour when out on her walks.

The beach has also been littered with broken bottles and other rubbish.

She said: "I've been going there for 20 years, it's my favourite place around here but I've never seen anything like this before.

"If glass is buried on the beach, then kids and dogs are going to get cut to pieces."

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