What's the law regarding killing of swans?

Apparently according to the paper and I'm being very careful here, some eastern european immigrnats are camping bedsides the River Nene. There was a lot of money spent on cleaning it up and it now has many breeds of fish and other wildlife back that it has lost. Allegedly the campers are using the wildlife as a food source but indisicriminatly without worrying about taking young that would restock the river.

I cannot understand why, if the story is accurate that

a) they cannot be moved on - H&S? When our kitchen was flooded we had to move out as the house was classed as uninhabitable! Our camping stove was deemed innapropriate!

b) they allegedly have set up washing facilites using buckets - would it be reasonable to suppose they empty toilet and washing buckets in the river - surely theres a law against dumping waste if this is true.

c) if they are fishing without a licence and with nets, surely local bylaws have rules about that?

d) swans are not a "game" bird and as carcasses and feathers have apparently been photograghed, surely that would be enough to charge them?

a couple of years ago there was a local problem with vagrants setting up camp on some protected land - the local farmers who had access to it suddenly found the soil was in poor condition and needed fertilising! They moved on after the slurry was sprayed!

Lyndsey

Think it is almost a countrywide problem with the fish as apparently lots of Polish people eat coarse fish and if they have the license it is very difficult to catch them taking fish away but never heard of it happening with Swans.

I could be wrong (like that's a first!) but I'm sure I read that swans were protected by the crown regardless of where they were.  I do remember reading an article somewhere of a man who found a swan, a victim of roadkill, who had taken it home and before he could do anything with it, was forced to give it up to the police.  Even though it's cause of death could be verified it was unlawful to use any of it's body parts either for eating  (like you would want to!) or preservation.

Unknown said:

I could be wrong (like that's a first!) but I'm sure I read that swans were protected by the crown regardless of where they were.  I do remember reading an article somewhere of a man who found a swan, a victim of roadkill, who had taken it home and before he could do anything with it, was forced to give it up to the police.  Even though it's cause of death could be verified it was unlawful to use any of it's body parts either for eating  (like you would want to!) or preservation.

 

Yes, as Kezmo says, I believe this is correct. The mute swan is the property of the crown and even if it is already dead you are not allowed to eat it, or keep it. The only person who is allowed is the Queen.

I have also been told by people who have been told by the actual culprits themselves that many eastern Europeans are eating our wildlife/protected wildlife. As has already been posted, our fish are being taken by some polish people living here, I know a guy who is engaged to a polish woman, she has told him that  her brothers who live here in england are often out catching our fish from rivers and parks for their dinner.

As for policing this behaviour, some will get caught and many won't.

Its against the law to let your dog foul in the park if you don't clear it up, you can receive a huge fine for not cleaning up after your dog BUT how many people are ever fined, not many as far as I know. 

I think it seems like its the same scenario with all this wildlife killing, Its against the law, we have the laws in place but the policing of them isn't as effective as it should be. There for, perhaps its not seen as much of a deterrent.

Example again, go back to the dog fouling. Plenty of signs saying you will be fined up to X amount of money if you don't clear up after your dog, look at the ground under the sign and you'll probably find "a land mine" (pile of dog mess)