An incident in Sandwich has helped make Kent the worst area in the south east for crimes against birds.

The county has racked up a total of 35 offences against our feathered friends in the last year, according to figures released by the RSPB, which accounts for more than 43 per cent of bird crimes in the entire region.

A person was caught destroying house martin nests in the Sandwich area by blasting them off the side of a building with a garden hose.

There were also three reported attacks on birds of prey or owls, including the unconfirmed shootings of a buzzard in Elham and a sparrowhawk in Doddington, and the suspected poisoning of an owl in Burham.

Other crimes include a man reported kicking a starling to death in Sheerness, and a brent goose and various seagulls being illegally shot.

Kent’s bird crimes were more than triple the amount reported in the south east’s second biggest offender, Surrey (11), where as the likes of Southampton, Slough and the Isle of Wight had just one incident each.

Although the south east in general fared well compared to persecution "hot-spots" in the north of the country, there were still 81 incidents of illegal killing of birds or destruction of their nests reported to the RSPB in 2007.

Other incidents include illegal disturbance and photography of protected birds and the theft, possession and sale of wild birds.

Hester Phillips, of RSPB South East, said: “The south east accounts for a small proportion of bird crime across the UK, which is something we should be proud of, but one incident is still too many.

“It is hard to say whether the problem is increasing or whether we are just getting to hear about more of the offences that are taking place.

“What is clear is that very large numbers of birds are being illegally killed every year and that is totally unacceptable in a civilised society. There has to be a greater effort to enforce the law.”

Ms Phillips urged the Home Office to make it clear to police forces that wildlife crime needed to be given a higher priority.

The RSPB is also asking Kent residents who care about our birds of prey to pledge their support for an end to illegal killing at www.rspb.org.uk/birdsofprey