A KILLER who has claimed 10 lives and injured many more has appeared in Pembrokeshire.

He hunts his victims around the Castle Pond in Pembroke, attempting to drown anyone he meets.

If he cannot hold his victims under the water long enough to drown them, he breaks the bones in their feet so they are unable to escape.

This killer, dubbed Mr Nasty on Facebook, is not a person. He's a swan.

"He has been extremely unpleasant," said Maria Evans, from Tinkers Hill bird sanctuary at Amroth.

"With help from Sam and Matt from Paddle West, we've managed to save 10 swans that definitely would have been killed.

"This swan was not going to give up at all, he was just going to kill them."

Ms Evans said that Mr Nasty was probably attacking his victims because he was trying to protect the small amount of food that is available in the Castle Pond.

His victims, who come from the nearby Mill Pond, fall over the barrage

and are then unable to get out.

"On one day we had five victims," Maria said.

"On June 22 I was called by a member of the public to say there was a swan by the little boathouse and it was absolutely covered in blood. Thankfully it wasn't that serious.

"The modus operandi for this swan and other swans is to break their toes. They get them off on the slipway and they hammer at their toes with their beaks."

After falling down the barrage, the swans are unable to fly away due to being in moult and not having their flight feathers.

Sam Booth, who owns the boating company Paddle West, on Castle Pond, has helped Maria save many injured swans.

"No one likes seeing animals in distress," He said

"We see most of what's going on the lake, and a lot of time we see just the dead swans. I think we've pulled out 10 dead ones, unfortunately.

"I've heard, but I don't know if it's true that there is another is set of breeding swans in the Millpond that are pushing them over the sluice, but I've not seen it myself.

"I've worked in places like this before, but I've never seen so many deaths."

Maria said she is hoping that Mr Nasty has stopped his rampage, at least for now, as there have not been any deaths since Sunday, June 24.

"I'm rather hoping it's all blown over now," Maria said.