A walker says he found a "large quantity" of animal intestines scattered along a picturesque public footpath.

Martin Eaves, 51, stumbled on the gruesome discovery at the weekend while walking along the Saxon Shore Way by the side of The Swale at Iwade. He fears the offal may have been poisoned to kill dogs.

He said: "I found a large quantity of offal (potentially rabbit) intestines but no carcasses placed along a half-mile stretch from the Kingsferry Bridge towards the Chetney Marshes. My fear is that these are poisoned and could present a hazard for dogs or birds of prey."

When we investigated on Monday we only found two small plastic bags left along the embankment.

But Mr Eaves from Raleigh Way, Halfway, said: "The stomach and intestines I saw were clearly visible along the path.

"I'm a keen walker but had never come across this before. I would say there were between 20 to 30 separate piles placed every 50 or so yards along the path. The odd thing was that there weren't any carcasses, just intestines."

The healthcare services manager for Abbott Laboratories at Sittingbourne said he researched similar instances after the find and when he unearthed 'poisoned bait' stories he contacted Sheppey's Angela Walder of the RSPCA.

He added: "Because the parcels were all confined to the path, it made me wonder if dogs were being targeted. I would have thought the local wildlife, there are a lot of stoats there, would have hoovered them up overnight."

Read more: All the latest news from Sittingbourne

Read more: All the latest news from Sheppey