Villagers are considering stepping up their security arrangements after more than a dozen dead birds were dumped in a car park.

Headcorn Parish Council is looking into installing CCTV cameras following the incident which saw nine Canada geese and six mallard ducks left in black bin bags behind the Sainsbury's store on High Street last month.

Villagers say the rural area has suffered hugely from fly-tipping in recent months, but this particular incident was something of a one-off, which parish council chair Caroline Carmichael admitted brought her to tears.

She said: "It was reported by a resident who was walking her dog so I went to have a look and it was horrific. The birds had all been shot and it was made worse because foxes had clearly got at them as well.

"It was just so disrespectful, and to see those beautiful birds like that was just horrible."

Mrs Carmichael rang around various specialists to try and get rid of the birds - some of whom quoted her as much as £100 per animal - before one local expert completed the job for a £20 fee, with another £30 being donated to The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Now the council is looking to increase its security measures and will discuss the possibility of more cameras over the coming weeks.

"I wouldn't say Headcorn is being targeted but fly-tipping of any kind is an issue and we're trying to deter people wherever we can," Mrs Carmichael said.

"We've tried to open up the area by taking away some of the trees, and we may think about CCTV but of course there are other areas to look after as well."