CCTV appeal after chickens are slaughtered at Doncaster allotment

Raiders targeted the allotments on Leger Way and went on a trail of destruction, breaking into sheds and leaving 11 animals dead in the rampage.

CCTV captured two men attempting shed doors in the early hours of last Saturday morning at the allotment which has been subjected to a number of break ins and incidents of vandalism during the last few weeks.

One allotment holder, who declined to be named for fear of reprisals, said that several allotment holders were planning on quitting the site because of the repeated attacks.

She said: “It is absolutely disgusting what’s happened.

“Someone has gone down there deliberately and done this. It has left people absolutely devastated and heartbroken.”

The slaughter is thought to have taken place at around 1.30am in the early hours of Saturday morning and was discovered at around 9am.

The allotment holder said: “Lots of people own chickens and all of them had been let out – about twenty in total.

“Eleven of them had had their necks wrung and were piled up next to a dustbin, so it looks whoever killed them was planning to steal them and perhaps eat or sell them.

“It looks like they might have been disturbed because they were all just stacked up, so it can’t be a fox or something like that.”

Padlocks have been smashed off shed doors and there have been a number of other incidents of vandalism at the site which is sandwiched between Leger Way and Sandall Beat Woods.

It is also feared that some of the animals may have escaped into the woods while a number of cockerels had been injured fighting after being set free.

She said: “The dead chickens belonged to two different holders. They are absolutely devastated.

“One of them has told me he’s had enough and is fed up of what has been going on. These people need finding.”

Anyone with information can contact South Yorkshire Police on 101.