A swan has died and another left injured after being shot on a canal with an air rifle.

Police and RSPCA officers were called to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal on Whalley Road in Clayton-le-Moors after the incident was reported at around 1pm.

A male swan is understood to have died after being shot in the head and a female swan was taken to a local vet for treatment.

A Lancashire Police spokesperson said: “The person called in to say they had seen on a Facebook page that a swan had been shot.

“The post said a male swan was found dead with a pellet wound to the head and a female swan was injured.”

An investigation has been launched and no arrests have been made.

Johnny Foley, from Clayton-le-Moors, has posted an appeal on Facebook to catch the offenders and has already been shared more than 1,600 times.

He said: “I will not give up on this. I will keep posting until I find the culprit.

"I’m absolutely ashamed of humanity at the moment but still glad there’s still a lot of concerned caring people in Accrington. I was almost losing hope.”