JOE Dziurzynski of the Yorkshire Swan Rescue hospital says words fail him at the cruelty inflicted on swans. Words don't fail me.

Cowardly scum like those who shot the swan have no fear of the law. We need to have a deterrent to stamp out this cruelty.

One way of doing this is to bring back the birch. Until we have a deterrent, animal cruelty will be with us for evermore.

D Fillingham, The Crossway, York.