People who walk their dogs are shunning a footpath after a number of dead foxes were found, feared to have been poisoned.

The bodies of four foxes were found on the public footpath behind bungalows in Downsway, Southwick, over a period of two weeks.

Three appeared to have been poisoned and the fourth beaten to death as there was an iron bar lying next to it.

A number of dog walkers are keeping their pets away from the footpath in case they pick up any poisoned food.

Some have complained their dogs have been sick, with one suffering liver damage.

Judy Way, of Overhill, Southwick, walks her six-year-old lurcher Freddie around the nearby fields and on the South Downs but has stopped using the footpath.

She said: "Freddie's best friend, another lurcher called Cassie, has been seriously ill. She was taken to the vet and wasn't expected to live.

"She has liver damage and is on strong doses of antibiotics.

"I walk my dog almost every day but I won't go along that footpath since this has happened.

"Dogs and cats might be killed if people are putting poison down."

Adur District Council collected the dead foxes but no toxicology tests were carried out as the deaths were not thought to be linked at the time.

PC Pam Spence, a wildlife liaison police officer, said people should report any dead animals in the area.

She said: "People put rat poison down because foxes are a pest in people's gardens. This can be picked up by pets.

"Two years ago a friend's dog was killed on Shoreham Beach and quite a lot of cats which get reported missing are later found dead from poisoning."

The RSPCA said it regularly receives calls about poison.

A spokeswoman said: "It is illegal to put down poison in public spaces where domestic animals could eat the poison and die. It's a very common problem. Cats could easily die because people often put the poison in meat. Even a dog out on a walk with its owner could eat the meat and die."

An Adur District Council spokeswoman said: "If we thought foxes were being poisoned, we would report it to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

"We would not turn a blind eye.

"If people think foxes are being poisoned they need to bring it to our attention."