The 12 young ducks who were born and raised by the harbour were taken one by one by the gulls.

In a further twist two adult ducks were found dead in the early hours of Friday morning.

A man who did not wish to be named told the Gazette he discovered one of the birds as he made his way to work.

He said: “I was in Grape Lane at around 5am when I saw a male duck lying in a pool of blood with its eyes ripped out.”

A drake was also found dead in nearby Church Street at approximately the same time.

So far there have been no witnesses to the incidents but it is unlikely that seagulls would attack older, larger ducks.

Another witness saw seagulls pick off the young ducklings one by one.

They would have had no defence against the larger gulls.

A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said the incidents of the two adult ducks had not been reported to them and if anyone knows more about it they can call the 24-hour Cruelty & Advice Line on (0300) 123 4999.