A woman fears a Keighley beauty spot is being targeted by hunters who leave the carcasses of dead birds in a stream.

The woman said she had visited Hainworth Woods at Ingrow twice in recent weeks to find the remains of ducks and pigeons floating in Gingerbread Clough Stream in the woods and feathers strewn across the ground.

Police have pledged to investigate her complaints and the RSPCA has been informed.

The woman, who asked not to be named in fear of repercussions, has now called for people who spot anyone hunting to contact the police, after claiming the area is losing its natural bird population.

She said: “It is so distressing to see. You go up some days and there are just feathers strewn everywhere. They dump some animals in the stream, you can see them floating in there.

“This is breeding season, so some of these birds will have eggs or chicks.

“People go out there to walk and hear the birds singing, but it will get to the stage where there are no birds out there, they will all get shot.

“There is a bridleway there, and it is so distressing to see these dead birds.”

The woman also claims the wood has suffered from fly-tipping, which she says adds to the no-go area feel of parts of the area.

She said: “I just want to draw attention to this in the hope that they stop. I want anyone who sees this going on to report it.

“It’s a beautiful area, but I would be ashamed to take visitors there.”

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said it was not aware of any poaching incidents, but that officers would look into the matter.

The spokesman said although there had been problems with fly-tipping at the woods in the past, the number of incidents had fallen since patrols there increased.

Keighley town councillor Tony Wright, who represents Hainworth, said it was the first he had heard of bird carcasses found in the stream but he was aware there was sometimes an issue with rubbish in the woods. “We do have people from nearby allotments tidying up an area near to their side from time to time but the claim of poachers leaving dead birds near the stream is new to me,” Coun Wright said. “If it is happening it needs to be tackled as soon as possible and it seems the relevant authorities have already been told about it so they can act. “However, we need to think more about how we can make more use of the woods to get more people using and enjoying them.

“Maybe having more people around would help safeguard the area from problems.”