Animal welfare officers released pigeons trapped under a railway bridge.

The birds became trapped in netting put up by Network Rail under the bridge where Old Shoreham Road becomes New England Road in Brighton.

Passer-by Linda Freston contacted The Argus to say she believed several had starved to death.

She said: "This is cruel, unnecessary and unacceptable."

Brighton and Hove City Council said the fire brigade helped free some birds from the netting.

A spokesman told The Argus: "We are appealing to the railway operators to fix the nets up properly to stop this happening again, or if necessary to replace them with a more humane and effective proofing method.

"We are also advising them that as the owners of the nets it's their job to release any trapped birds."

A spokesman for Network Rail said lorries and car aerials can damage the netting, allowing birds to get in and become trapped.

He said: "We are aware there have been complaints regarding pigeons at the Old Shoreham Road bridge.

"We have sent an engineer along to assess the situation with a view to freeing any trapped birds, finding out how the proofing was damaged and carrying out any repairs that were necessary."