Mystery surrounds the discovery of 11 bin bags filled with dead birds and hares on a field near Wymondham.

Barry Goldsmith, who looks after the land near Warren's Hill in Kimberley, stumbled on the grisly find while walking his dogs on Thursday morning.

The 68-year-old said: 'I went down to the land to take the dogs for a walk and turned into the gate and all the dustbin bags were there.

'I opened one of the bags and all these hares' legs started falling out. I called the police straight away.'

Officers attended and passed the case on to the environmental health team at South Norfolk Council, who removed the bags.

They later confirmed that the geese, crows, pigeons and hares had all been shot.

Mr Goldsmith said the spot is popular with dog walkers and families.

'It was lucky it was me, really. It was absolutely disgusting and I just don't understand it – if people don't want them then why shoot them. It's cruel,' he said.

He recalled a similar incident in the summer, when two bags stuffed with chicken carcasses were found.

Keith Kiddie, council cabinet member for the environment and regulation, said: 'Following a report from the police on Thursday one of our street cleansing teams visited Warren's Hill in Kimberley and removed 11 black bags containing the carcasses of geese, crows, pigeons and hares. All of the animals had been shot. The carcasses have now been destroyed.'

Katya Mira, senior press office at the RSPCA in the south east, said: 'It has been known with large commercial shoots, where large numbers of pheasants are shot, that the shooters can't dispose of them by selling them as game or taking them home for their own consumption. Then they can end up in skips or dumped in bags.

'This is one of the aspects of shooting that the RSPCA would like to see changed because of the wasteful disregard to animal life.'

A Norfolk Police spokesman said the incident was not a police matter.

Although Mr Kiddie said the department 'could not find any evidence in the bags that would enable them to identify where the animals had come from', he encouraged members of the public to come forward with information.

Contact the council on 0808 168 2000.

• Do you have a story from the Wymondham area? Email lauren.cope@archant.co.uk