A man is helping police with their inquiries after an incident in which three ducklings were killed. Most motorists apparently stopped when a row of ducklings followed their mother across a road.
However other drivers were shocked when a white van carried on and drove over three of the ducklings on the A34 in Trentham, leaving them in the road. The incident sparked fury on social media after one witness posted the distressing images, reports Stoke on Trent Live.
Now Staffordshire Police have said a man is now helping them with their inquiries into what happened. Chief Inspector John Owen tweeted: "A 61-year-old male from Stoke-on-Trent is currently helping with our investigation."
The incident, which happened on Friday at abut 9am drew a massive reaction after it was posted on Facebook by witness Steven Walley. It has since been shared thousands of times and Steven, along with others who saw the post, have lodged reports with the police.
Mr Walley told previously how was heading towards Stone, where he lives, when he and other motorists stopped at the Trentham Estate roundabout to allow the ducks to cross. The 43-year-old said: "All three lanes of traffic had stopped. There was a mother duck and six or seven ducklings.
"I was in the middle lane. They passed my car and as they started to walk in front of a white van that was stopped to my right, the driver sped off and crushed three of them. He would only have had to wait a couple more seconds to let them cross.
"I felt sick. I was just unbelievably angry - I was livid. It was just so unnecessary. Everyone had stopped and they were going across nicely."
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 understand this is an emotive issue for many people and we ask please that you do not take matters into your own hands."
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