A seagull has been targeted and killed in the second incident of its kind in just a week.

The RSPCA was called on Monday to Stone Street, Hastings, to reports that one of the birds dropped suddenly from a roof into a garden.

The seagull was unable to stand and on closer inspection at the RSPCA’s Mallydams Wildlife Centre, a vet discovered a pellet had lodged into the bird’s spine.

Unfortunately the bird did not recover from its treatment and it was put to sleep to prevent further suffering.

The news follows another seagull attack last week in the town, where a teenage boy was seen kicking a bird against a shop window like a football.

That seagull was also later put to sleep.

RSPCA inspector Ali Edwards said: "Once again, this case highlights the number of attacks we see against these birds - a lot of them callous and cruel.

"Last year there were a few reports of the birds being shot in this same area, and we urge people to remember that it is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act to intentionally kill or injure a wild bird, unless under licence.

"Herring gulls are actually a species of conservation concern in the UK - research has shown that overall gull populations are actually in decline.

"We urge people to be tolerant of the wildlife living around them."