GREATER public awareness of the dangers to wildlife from discarded fishing equipment and abandoned supermarket trolleys led to a reduction in animal and bird injuries last year, according to Salisbury's Wildlife Rescue charity.

Efforts by Phil Groombridge and Tony Green to educate the public about the dangers to water birds from fishing lines and shopping trolleys meant there were fewer mishaps and injuries last year than in previous years.

But, last year was marred by the number of swans killed and injured following attacks by dogs and by being shot by airgun pellets.

In its annual report, Wildlife Rescue said the demand for its emergency rescue service had one or both of its ambulances out on the road almost continually from the spring through to the autumn.

There were 1,047 emergency call-outs and the charity rescued 833 wild creatures with 598 being released unharmed or set free after treatment.

A total of 221 either died at the scene of the incident, shortly afterwards or later from shock, while some had to be put down because of the severity of their injuries.

Some of the creatures which recovered were still unable to return to the wild and they are being cared for in the charity's hospital in Teffont.

Mr Groombridge said: "The public played a significant role in helping to reduce these incidents by reporting to us where hooks and lines had been seen. This enabled us to remove them before they caused problems."

During the year fundraising efforts brought in £6,206.57 plus £521 from donations received by Mr Groombridge from his full diary of talks to clubs and schools. The year also saw the introduction of a bric-a-brac stall permanently open at the Magnet Stores in Fisherton Street and help also came from builders' merchants Sydenhams, which sponsors some of the running costs of the ambulances, and from the Fisherton Street Traders' Association.