SAMPLES have been taken from swans at a popular park following the unexplained deaths of more than 20 birds.

The RSPCA visited the Riverside Park in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, today (Wednesday, April 1) to take blood samples that the charity hopes will shed light on the deaths.

The park has a flock of more than 40 swans. Some of the birds that have died were found to have high levels of lead.

RSPCA Inspector Geoff Edmond, national co-ordinator of the charity’s wildlife team, said: “For a while now we have had a number of swans in this area die and we are trying to get to the bottom of what is happening

“We have a team from the RSPCA here today to catch them, and blood test them and see if they are healthy or if they aren’t healthy.

“The number of swans here varies but we are just trying to test a sample, working with vets to try to work out what is happening

“My understanding is that there are some birds at Ashington that have been affected as well.

“It entails catching the birds, blood testing them and releasing them, without causing them distress,”

Mr Edmond added that the blood samples would be sent away for analysis.

The seven-strong RSPCA team was assisted by three vets, one from the charity, one from DEFRA, and the other from a local practice.

Linda Charlton, of the Swan Trust, who has been looking after the Riverside birds for 20 years, said it had been a worrying time but she was encouraged that action was being taken to find the cause of the deaths.

She said: “We didn’t know what was happening at first and then the vet and I realised in December, because the birds were dying one after the other, that we had better do something about it.

“They were sent for post-mortems and they were found to contain very, very high levels of lead.

“We don’t know where it is coming from. We don’t know if it’s environmental – all the water has been tested, everything has been tested - or if this is deliberate.

“We are hoping that these tests will get to the bottom of it.”