A yob shooting wildlife with a catapult at Singleton Lake was caught after one resident sat on him until police arrived.

Two boys were spotted firing handmade weapons at goslings and other birds at the picturesque spot on Monday last week.

It is the latest in a long line of attacks on wildlife at the lake.

Joanna Watts, a volunteer community warden, said residents were living in fear because attacks like this occurred daily.

She said: “This happens pretty much every evening but passers-by are afraid to confront the culprits because they do not want to get hurt.

“I had been out on patrol that morning but had come home for lunch, and I couldn’t believe it when I spotted two boys firing catapults at the ducks.

“My husband and I ran to the door, and I was shouting at them to stop.

“They tried to make a run for it but I made enough noise that passers-by and nearby fisherman dropped everything and ran to stop them.

“I approached one of them and told him I was the warden and that he should sit down so we could talk.

“But he pushed me; he gave me a right proper shove.

“So my husband quickly had him on the ground, and sat on him so he wouldn’t go anywhere.”

One of the catapult-wielding yobs managed to get away but police were able to speak to the other.

The mum-of-two added: “The boy wouldn’t give any details to the police. He was a horrible little kid but the officer told me that he cried like a baby in the police car.

“This is not one of the kids that is known to the police so it’s not the core group that we have chased off, but the last time the police attended they all got away.

“It’s awful and I’m not entirely sure how we are going to stop it.

“It’s like stopping a drug ring. We have to cut it off at the source.

“There are some families manufacturing these catapults, and it just seems to be the ‘cool’ thing to do at the moment.

“We need the police to find out exactly where this is coming from and stop that opportunity.”

A police spokesman confirmed officers were called to the lake after reports of youths firing catapults at wildlife.

He added: “Officers attended and gave advice to a boy about his behaviour. No damage had been caused to property and no injuries to wildlife was reported. A catapult was recovered and will be destroyed.”