Man, 61, attends voluntary interview following backlash over death of ducklings

Police investigating allegations that a van driver killed three ducklings have interviewed a 61-year-old man as part of ongoing inquiries.

The man, from Stoke-on-Trent, was "voluntarily interviewed" on Sunday, Staffordshire Police said in a brief statement.

The force is looking into an allegation that three ducklings were crushed by a van after its driver opted not to wait for them to cross a road in the Trentham area on Friday.

Motorists were left horrified when they witnessed a van driver run over three ducklings as the animals crossed the road on the A34 in Trentham.

Police were made aware of the incident as a result of a social media post from a witness, which included images of the ducklings lying on the road and sparked numerous posts calling for a criminal inquiry.

The killings have sparked outrage on social media.

Steven Walley took to social media to vent his rage and shared photographs of a white van and the three dead birds on Facebook.

He said traffic had stopped to allow the family of baby ducks and their mother to cross.

But before they had made it to the other side, the driver of the white van set off - crushing three of the ducklings and leaving them dead in the road.

Steve's post has been shared more than 2,000 times on Facebook and travelled far and wide after it was picked up by animal welfare campaigner Dominic Dyer - who shared it on Twitter.

Staffordshire Police released a statement in response to the incident, in which they said they were 'establishing potential offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act'. 

The force added: "We are aware of a post circulating of a van driver who is believed to have killed ducklings in Trentham.

"We understand this is an emotive issue for many people and we ask please that you do not take matters into your own hands."

Witnesses are asked to contact police on 101 quoting reference 283 of May 21.