A NEWPORT vet is asking people in the city to be vigilant after a spate of shootings of animals in the past fortnight.

Nursing assistant in charge of wildlife at Summerhill Veterinary Centre Alex Lewis said they had noticed a spike in the number of animals being brought in suffering from air gun wounds.

In the past two weeks, Mr Lewis said three seagulls, two pigeons, one fox and a squirrel have been brought in by members of the public and the RSPCA after being shot.

He said usually, the vets centre would only expect to see the “odd shooting” over the course of a few weeks, so this number represented a marked increase on the norm: “I’ve never seen anything like this before, he said.

The squirrel, which had a fractured pelvis, and one of the seagulls, which suffered internal injuries, were both put down.

The shootings have all been in the Ringland and Alway area of Newport and Mr Lewis is asking people in the city to make sure they report anything like this to either the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999 or Gwent Police on 101.