AN allotment holder has been left sickened after his chickens were killed by vandals wielding forks, a pickaxe and spade.

The 14 hens were kept on a plot of land just off the A167 in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, by Craig Best, 24, and Fiona Dixon, 27.

At 5.30pm on Monday, Mr Best had put the chickens in their shed for the night, but when he returned the next day, he was met with a horrific sight.

His girlfriend, Ms Dixon, of Witton Gilbert, near Durham, said: "He said it looked like a massacre, there were feathers everywhere and bodies everywhere. It was horrible.

"Whoever it was had hit them with spades, we found forks through them and a pickaxe.

"They broke in there specifically to kill the chickens. They hadn't stolen anything. Only four were left."

Mr Best found the rest of the chickens running around his allotment and took two of the four remaining birds, with injuries including a broken wing, to a vet. They were treated with antibiotics and painkillers.

Mr Best had kept chickens on the plot to produce eggs and they had been there for more than a year.

Now the couple are hoping the culprits will be caught.

Ms Dixon said: "It's happened in the night when the chickens were locked up in the shed, so whoever it was knew they were there."

Anyone with information is asked to call Chester-le-Street police on 0191-388 4311.