Image credit: Cheshire Police
Cheshire Police have issued an update after a swan was reportedly attacked in Winsford.
They said officers were patrolling Winsford Marina on Sunday (24th November) after posts emerged on social media which appeared to show a man grabbing hold of a swan on Wednesday (20th November).
A spokesperson for the force said: “As is often the case with social media posts, they spread far and wide and certain groups use the information to put their own spin on events without having any evidence at all to back up what they are saying.
“A lot of people then believe what they are reading as fact, when in reality that isn’t the case.
“These groups put their own spin on stories to generate likes and shares, to promote themselves, and to cause harm and disruption to communities that they don’t live in, and have no association with.”
Image credit: Cheshire Police
They added that the allegation they had received so far was that a man had grabbed a swan by its neck and picked it up.
“It looks like this was done to have a picture taken before the bird was put down,” the spokesperson added.
They said there was no evidence behind rumours being circulated that swans in the area were being taken in order to be eaten.
The spokesperson continued: “The fact that the male grabbed the swan is evidenced by good quality images, and investigations into who the male is are ongoing.”
A dead swan was found on Sunday morning, but this bird was believed to have been attacked by a fox and was unrelated to the incident on Wednesday according to police.
“There is absolutely no evidence that a person is responsible for the death of these birds at the marina, and we would urge people to stop spreading rumours, as it does nothing to help our town,” they said.
