A CHARITY feels "disgusted" by "irresponsible" fishermen after a pair of swans got caught in discarded fishing hooks.

Solo the cygnet was rescued by the Swan Support charity after a cafe worker at Mill Pond in Bracknell discovered he was entangled in fishing hooks and wires.

Another swan called Prince was also rescued at North Lake in South Hill Park when charity volunteers found a fishing hook in his leg.

Maggie Hawes thanked the charity for their work on social media but voiced her anger at 'irresponsible' fishermen.

She said: "I go and walk around South Hill Park daily and keep an eye on the wildlife. After all it, is their habitat not ours. Dogs (owners I mean) can also be a pain - we need more signs as people do not read the notice boards."

The swans have been let out into the wild since being rescued but the charity wants anglers to be more aware of their surroundings when fishing.

Wendy Hermon, operations director at Swan Support, said: "We deal with a lot of tackled swans and the most disgusting thing about it is how it can be avoided.

"Fishermen think they'll be in trouble if they report that they have caught a swan. I also think sometimes they leave discarded hooks in the lake but it is not deliberate.

Swan Support rescue swans and cygnets in the Thames Valley and surround areas.

Last year, 1,500 swans were rescued by the organisation.

Wendy added: "We are not anti-angling because they see things on the lakes like if a swan has been injured or if the water is dirty, and they do report it to us."

Emilia Brugognone who is a fisherman in Bracknell believes anglers do not leave their equipment deliberately as it is expensive.

She said: "There is the odd occasion where your hook will get caught on a snag or snaps and there isn’t much you can do to get it back.

"The majority of fisherman care a lot about wildlife and the fish, hence why it’s our hobby, we also tend to aid any fish and always release.

"It’s a sport that has been popular for many, many years and fishing equipment nowadays is a lot better and safer.

"I see a lot more general rubbish in ponds lakes and rivers than I do fishing equipment. Fishing equipment is bloody expensive so I don’t believe it’s purposely left."