THE gruesome discovery of a murdered six week-old lamb in a field near Chippenham has disgusted RSPCA officers.

The head of the lamb, which had been cleanly severed from its body, was found in a field between East Tytherton and Tytherton Lucas last Thursday.

Its body was nowhere to be found, save for a small piece of fleece, which looked like it had been skinned off with a knife.

RSPCA spokesman Lucy Clark said that the police had been informed.

"We are treating this as highly suspicious and we think someone has gone into the field and inhumanely killed this lamb. Its head has been cleanly severed from its body," she said. The head was sent to a vet for analysis who had reached the conclusion that the lamb may well have been killed deliberately.

"This could not have been done by a dog or a fox and this was the only lamb in the field found to be hurt," said Ms Clark.

"It was also the only black lamb in the whole field. We think it probably suffered a very gruesome death and we are appealing for anybody who knows anything to contact us."

"Lambs would be very difficult to catch and it is also strange that they took the body away with them," said Ms Clark.

"It's a mystery why anybody would do something like this."

Anyone with information should contact the RSPCA's national cruelty and advice line on (08705) 555999.