Severed remains of deer left on Wrekin

In the past few weeks a severed head and a lower leg have been found by walkers on the Wrekin.

Some believe it to be as a result of a cull to control the deer population.

But the man who runs the popular snack shop halfway up the hill believes that the deaths are down to illegal poachers operating under the cover of darkness.

Adam Yorke, who also lives at the Halfway House, said some of his customers had been reporting the gruesome finds.

He said: "Last bank holiday somebody reported that a deer's head had been found severed on the track down.

"A family with two daughters found it.

"Then on Sunday one of our regulars handed me a deer's leg – he said his dog had found it."

Mr Yorke said he was aware that a controlled cull of some of the deer had been carried out by the land owners, but was convinced that these deer deaths were the work of poachers.

He said: "They have cut the leg off because there is no flesh on it. When they cull they take away the whole carcass.

"I have not heard any shots at night but once I fall asleep I just drift off."

Peter Holt, whose family owns the Telford side of the Wrekin, said he had been aware of rumours of poaching for many years. He said:

"People have said they've heard shots going off in the night, but no-one has ever seen anything.

"A lot of this is hearsay, and it's been going on for as long as I can remember."

Much of the Wrekin is owned by the Raby Estate. No-one from the estate was available to comment yesterday.

Andrew Bronwin & Co, chartered foresters and surveyors based in Powys who work on behalf of the Raby Estate, confirmed that culling was ongoing, but did not comment further.

Chris Ammonds, spokesman for West Mercia Police, confirmed that a member of the public had reported finding a severed deer's head on the Wrekin on April 12.