A local bird sanctuary has reported a seagull flying around the coast with an arrow protruding through its neck.

Bardsea Bird Sanctuary has been unable to catch the bird to remove the arrow. Volunteer Sydny Davies said: "I was parked on Oxford Street and I noticed a seagull perched on top of the lamppost and it was aggressively plucking at its neck. 

"Next thing I noticed was an arrow protruding out from one side to the other. I could see that it was also struggling to swallow.

"Unfortunately, we can't catch seagulls like this as it's near enough impossible when they still have healthy functioning of their wings. We've had other reports of seagulls with arrows in their necks before and it's just disheartening. 

"It has made me so sad and angry that someone is out there shooting arrows at seagulls. It's not only a danger to them but a danger to people, especially children.

"Now this seagull is living with an arrow through its neck where it's supposed to swallow food and drink, I'm sure whoever did this would not enjoy the comfort of something sharp in their neck for the rest of their life."

Elisabeth Ashleigh, the lead volunteer for Bardsea Bird Sanctuary said: "We get birds in all the time and it gets depressing. We have to think of the ones that we have saved. 

"It seems that people can just hit birds and drive on whereas if you hit a cat you'd stop. With birds people just don't seem to care." 

Last year, Cumbria Police issued a warning to the public not to mistreat seagulls. 

A spokesperson for Cumbria Police's Wildlife and Rurual Affairs team said: "Herring gulls are beautiful, large birds that are venturing further in land to find food.

"Unfortunately, they can become a nuisance especially during spring and summer and have been known to be aggressive when protecting nests and young, which makes them a target for persecution."

Abuse of gulls can lead to fines and possibly prison time depending on the crime, according to Cumbria Police.