Plea to anglers over injured owls

The RSPCA say the owls may have been dangling for 20 hours

Anglers have been criticised by the RSPCA after two tawny owls became trapped in discarded fishing lines at a private lake near Frome in Somerset.

One bird was found hanging and another clinging upside down after getting trapped in the line between a branch and a weight in the water.

An inspector said he had never seen anything like it in 34 years.

"It was a terribly sad sight - properly disposing of the line could have saved these owls immense suffering," he said.

He believed the rare birds may have been hanging from the line, one above the other, for as long as 20 hours on the lake before they were rescued.

Both owls suffered wing damage and were taken to the RSPCA West Hatch Wildlife and Rehabilitation Centre near Taunton for treatment.