A 30-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the killing of a swan.

At around 6pm on Sunday, police in Burnley received reports that a swan had been killed on a stretch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal close to Magnesium Way in the town.

A joint investigation between the police and the RSPCA was launched, and officers put out an appeal for information and CCTV footage.

On Tuesday afternoon a 30-year-old man from the Burnley area was arrested in connection with the incident.

A spokesperson for the police said: "This afternoon officers from the Burnley Task Force have arrested a 30-year-old male from the Burnley area.

"He is currently being dealt with by officers from the police and the RSPCA.

"We will update you in due course.

"Thank you to everyone who shared and responded to our appeal."

Wild unmarked mute swans belong to the Crown (the Queen).

This means that taking or killing a swan could amount to theft, and injuring them could amount to criminal damage (both these offences committed against swans have been successfully prosecuted in recent years).

Up until 1998 killing a swan was still tantamount to treason.