By Pam McClounie

Last updated at 11:55, Saturday, 26 January 2013

The owner of chickens that were stabbed to death with a garden fork says he was “shocked and sickened” to find them in that condition.

Related: Chickens stabbed to death on west Cumbria allotment

Stephen Corkhill, 54, of Hensingham, Whitehaven, keeps his chickens on an allotment at the back of Rosebank.

He went to feed them just after 5.30am on Wednesday and found half a dozen of them dead.

He said: “I got a shock. I went up there like I normally do and three of the black marans had been killed.

“They’d been stabbed with garden fork and a bit of wood. I didn’t find their bodies.

“A little Sussex was also killed along with a few gold feather crosses. Bits of their feathers were found on the fence.”

Mr Corkhill, who works at Sellafield, called the police as soon as he got to work.

He said: “It’s just sickening. I had those chickens since they hatched and I’ve brought them up myself. They are laying hens and can be replaced but I also keep show birds and if anything had happened to them then they are irreplaceable.”

Mr Corkhill says he has “no idea” why anyone would want to harm his chickens.

“I just don’t understand it. Whoever did this caused a bit of damage to some fences.

“I live a couple of minutes away in the car so I didn’t hear anything. I don’t know if the people living closer heard anything.

“I’ve been broken into before and had some silkies stolen. I reckon the laying hens would be about £15 each and the little Sussex and the others about £10 each.”

Mr Corkhill said: “The police said they hadn’t managed to get any prints off the garden fork.”

The allotments are owned by Copeland council.

Witnesses should contact PC Doyle on 101.

First published at 11:11, Saturday, 26 January 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk