Thugs stone young coots to death in Hackney park

Thugs have stoned a family of young coots to death in a Hackney park.

The coots had built a nest on the water at Millfields Park which was destroyed. Undaunted they built another and three babies had just hatched out.

But the babies together with one parent have been discovered stoned at the nest.

Keen cyclist Louise Hutchins had been watching the birds’ progress as she passed by on her way to work and was horrified to spot the corpses on the nest with a parent bird lying dead in the water.

She said: “I feel outraged. There’s quite a lot of stones in the nest Who could do such a thing?”

Another park user has put up a home made ‘crime scene’ notice in disgust at what has happened at the park off Leabridge Road.

Ms Hutchins said: “It’s such a lovely park and well used with people walking with pushchairs and people doing yoga. It’s just on the edge of the Marshes and there’s lots of bird life there with cormorants and swans and also rare birds.” It’s important for Hackney to have this here.”