The RSPCA has issued an urgent appeal for information after two cygnets were killed in Thame.

The bodies of the cygnets were discovered on Friday on a popular dog walking route in Priestend, which runs alongside the River Thame. One body was floating in the water and the other was on the riverbank. An adult swan and another cygnet are healthy and remain on the river.

It is not known how the swans died.

However, RSPCA inspector Martin Rivett was told youths had been seen swinging bottles on ropes at the swans from a bridge on Wednesday. He said: “It is hard to tell how the cygnets had died, especially as the one on the bank had since been attacked by another animal.

“However, if they were the targets of such an appalling and deliberate attack, we need to hear from anyone who knows anything about this.”

Anyone found guilty of injuring or killing a protected wild bird could face a maximum six-month prison sentence and/or a £5,000 fine under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.

Anyone with information is urged to call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.