A number of guns and pesticides have been seized by police as officers investigate the suspected deliberate poisoning of a bird of prey.

Suffolk police’s rural crime team launched an investigation following the discovery of a dead common buzzard on land in west Suffolk back in September.

Officers then carried out searches and seized several guns and a quantity of pesticides on Monday in relation to their investigation.

Sergeant Brian Calver, of the rural crime team, said the investigation is ongoing and no further comment about the case could be made at this time.

However, he added that the force often receives reports of birds of prey being illegally killed.

Speaking generally, Sgt Calver said: “It’s one of those things that has gone on for a lot of years.

“There’s been a lot of work to try and educate people and prevent it but sadly there are some people who still see birds of prey as some kind of enemy.

“We see all too often reports of deliberate poisoning, shooting, trapping – they are the general methods that happen.

“They’re all very highly protected birds and some of them are extremely rare, and really struggling to get a foothold as it is.”

Source: East Anglian Daily Times