THE disappearance of dozens of exotic ducks from a town's pond has prompted radical action to deter those taking the waterfowl.

For years people have visited the ornamental gardens at Grange-over-Sands to watch the antics of the web-footed creatures.

But numbers have fallen dramatically in recent months and, at the last count, there were only seven ornamental ducks to be seen.

Some townspeople believe that the birds have been stolen and one man concerned about the fall in the duck population has taken matters into his own hands by contributing public money to get a CCTV camera erected.

In July 2018 the Gazette reported that 44 ducks worth more than £1,500 were stolen in one night. Since then bird numbers have continued to decline and the collection of ducks, which once included European Wigeons, Marbled Teals and Mandarins, is extremely sparse.

Seventy-seven-year-old Tom Ross, who feeds the birds at weekends and helps to monitor the population, is so concerned about the situation that he has used money from a public donation box to pay for a CCTV camera.

"It (the ornamental pond and ducks) brings the children down," said Mr Ross. "From the town's shops' point of view, it brings in business.

"They are important to me from the point of view of a hobby. I don't feel like wasting my time when somebody's pinching them."

Peter Endsor, chair of Grange Town Council, said: "It goes without saying, it's a big attraction.

"We had so many exotic ones and they have been there for years."

The problems all started following the loss of more than 40 birds in July 2018. On that occasion local businesses generously contributed money, and £1,600 was raised to restore the prized collection to its former glory.

Mr Ross says that the most recent thefts, between September 2018 and February of this year, have been more targeted. He believes that the birds have been taken on a species by species basis and now there are not many left to steal. Some birds - the eider - are worth around £140 to collectors.

"You always knew when somebody had been among them because when you came to feed them, they wouldn't come near," said Mr Ross. "They'd be spooked."

Mr Ross believes the ducks have been taken early in the morning, which is when they are hungry and more likely to approach someone with food, and that they were taken using nets. He added the ducks attracted a lot of tourists to the town.

"There's no point in replacing them for someone else to pinch them, if you’re not doing something to stop them,” he said. He added that a friend recently got seven more ornamental ducks from Clitheroe and three had already disappeared.

Gemma Royle, of Stockport, who was visiting the park with her children, seven-year-old Jessica and four-year-old Annabel, said: "We always come here. It's a nice little area to have a wander round, and I feel safe leaving them to feed the ducks, and as you can see they enjoy doing it."

And, tired of having people coming in and taking the birds, Mr Ross decided to take matters into his own hands to make sure they were still there for future generations to enjoy.

He has given £612 to South Lakeland District Council (SLDC), which is to go towards setting up a CCTV camera at the gardens.

Mr Ross said funds were collected in a donation tin at the duck pond, where people can deposit money in exchange for some pellets to feed the birds. The pellets, he added, are important, as bread could swell and block the birds' gullets, leading to starvation.

Cllr Dave Khan, one of the district councillors for Grange, said he and other councillors had helped with the administrative side of getting a CCTV camera put up, which he described as a "complex process".

"It's a big draw, the duck pond," he said. "I holidayed here for 20 odd years and I have worked here for 16 years and the duck pond was a big magnet for my children when they were young, and I don't think anything's changed really."

Mr Ross said he felt a camera was necessary as a deterrent and to give an idea of how the birds were disappearing.

He added that he had received an invoice from SLDC for the camera but did not know when it would be installed.

Police confirmed that 29 ducks had disappeared from the gardens in the three months leading to January. However, they said there was no direct evidence that the birds had been stolen.