Police have issued a warning to dog owners after cocktail sausages stuffed with "slug pellets" were found in a popular dog walking spot.

Hailsham Police have issued the warning after the sausages were discovered yesterday along the Cuckoo Trail which runs from Hampden Park to Heathfield.

Photos of the troubling discovery were originally posted on the Doggy Style pet service Facebook page.

In their post they said: "Walking along the Cuckoo trail in Hailsham at approximately 6pm this evening, I have found a quantity of cocktail sausages that appear to have a as of yet an unknown substance deliberately inserted into them.

"My guess is that it looks like slug pellets which of course can be fatal to dogs if ingested, police have of course been contacted but as I'm sure you can appreciate this type of crime will be very difficult to resolve. So this post is hopefully to help make other owners aware of the possible dangers."

"Thankfully I have a Search Dog that is able to indicate if something doesn't smell right, but please watch any dog off the lead as they were not in eye sight but easily consumed and in multiple places along the trail.

"Hopefully this is the action of some bored misguided youth, (which I'm sure this isn't the case!) but personally I find this premeditated, calculated with actions of someone who knows what they are doing."

The discovery follows a spate of dog poisonings in Brighton and Hove.