A HERRING gull has received emergency treatment after it was found trapped with six inches of fishing line and two hooks inside it.It was found at the landfill site at Wangford and was taken to the village's veterinary clinic where vet Walter Stohr removed the 2� inch hooks, one of which had narrowly avoided piercing the bird's air pipe and was caught behind it.

A HERRING gull has received emergency treatment after it was found trapped with six inches of fishing line and two hooks inside it.

It was found at the landfill site at Wangford and was taken to the village's veterinary clinic where vet Walter Stohr removed the 2� inch hooks, one of which had narrowly avoided piercing the bird's air pipe and was caught behind it.

The other hook was hanging from its beak and had become caught in a large sack. As a result the bird was stuck and in a great deal of distress.

Mr Stohr managed to treat the bird after giving it anaesthetic, but the gull was too weak to be released back into the wild.

Instead the RSPCA were called to collect the frightened animal and will release it in a few days when it is fully recovered.

This is the second case that Mr Stohr has dealt with in just three weeks after puppy Torres, owned by veterinary nurse Estelle Jenner was rushed in after swallowing a discarded fishing hook on Kessingland Beach.

An X-ray later found that another hook was jammed between his aorta and his heart.

Mr Stohr said: 'While understanding fishing is a very popular hobby I think it is irresponsible of fisherman to discard fishing line with hooks attached on the beach or even in the regular waste disposal.

'Those hooks were not only 2 � inches in size, but extremely sharp and with a barb on them. This makes it even more difficult to remove and I shudder to think of the damage it could do especially if a child were unfortunate enough to step onto one.'