It has been reported that swans’ eggs from Falmouth’s Swanpool Lake were stolen and damaged last Sunday.

The eggs were removed from the nest of a new pair of swans and one was broken on the footpath, according to a post made by Swanpool Beach on Facebook.

They wrote: “We are very sorry to report [this]”.

It is an offence to remove eggs from a wild birds’ nest and it is prohibited to invade the nature reserve. Falmouth Police were contacted immediately but have since responded to speculations as to what or who is to blame by stressing that there is no evidence so far to suggest that humans were involved.

Swanpool Lake Nature Reserve is located right behind Swanpool Beach and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

It is one of the eleven most important brackish lagoons in Britain. The mixture of fresh and salt water provides a thriving environment for a wide variety of wildlife, including a number of swans and the Trembling Sea Mat, a species found nowhere else in the UK.

Ian McCarthy, President of the Cornwall Bird Watching and Preservation Society said: “It is so sad to hear of the senseless damage and theft of eggs from swans at Swanpool Lake. It’s a pathetically mean and stupid act of violence against these beautiful and harmless birds.”

It remains unclear as to whether people or animals were responsible for the offence.