Bexley Council have urged dog-owners to keep their pets leashed and report offenders to the police after the death of a swan at Danson Park.

The male swan died after sustaining “severe injuries” to the jugular and windpipe in an apparent dog attack on Sunday, according to the RSPCA.

A local resident initially spotted the injured bird with several bloody injuries, waiting with him for more than an hour until the RSPCA arrived.

The animal welfare charity revealed the swan died shortly afterwards.

“His mate and cygnets are now without him,” the group tweeted.

Following the incident, Bexley Council issued a statement expressing sadness for the swan and imploring residents to report concerns in the borough’s parks.

“We were very sad to learn of the death of one of the swans at Danson Lake that may have been as a result of an attack by a dog,” a spokesperson for the authority said.

“If park users have concerns over dogs in any of our parks they should report them to the police.

“We are asking dog owners to keep their pets on leads in all our parks and open spaces at this time to encourage social distancing between park users.”