A woman has told how she was left traumatised after watching a group of teenagers kicking and whipping ducks in Colchester’s Castle Park.

A woman has told how she was left traumatised after watching a group of teenagers kicking and whipping ducks in Colchester’s Castle Park.

Debby Cambridge described the act as cruel and nasty and has reported the attack to the RSPCA.

She explained that she was walking through the park in the centre of Colchester at 6pm on Monday (April 8) when she saw a gang of young teenagers “kicking and whipping ducks”.

She said: “One of the ducks ran away and the other managed to get up and waddle away to safety.”

The 56-year-old confronted the teenagers, who according to Debby “walked off laughing and shouting abuse”.

Debby has since reported the abuse to the RSCPA’s cruelty line.

She said that despite the vicious attack, the ducks did not seem to be badly injured but she was unable to find them when she checked back later in the evening.

Describing the attack, she said: “One boy made contact as he kicked the duck, and that’s when he picked up the stick.

“I yelled at him ‘don’t you dare’ but he still took a swing at the duck, luckily he missed.

“The attack upset me terribly,” continued Debby.

“I actually detest the cruel, nasty and hateful way that the world is going. Why do youngsters think this is acceptable?”

The incident sparked a huge outcry on Facebook, with some people calling the attack disgusting and vile.

Nicky Chilvers commented: “Kids have absolutely no respect for anything or anyone. It’s the sad reality of our world now. I hope CCTV has caught them and they get punished for their actions.”

Jeannine McAndrew: “Well done for intervening. If anyone reading this knows their teenage children were out in the park I hope it gives them a wake up call to talk to their kids about empathy and respect.

“People who torture animals often go on to abuse other people, it’s really serious.”

A spokesman for the RSPCA said: “This sounds like a very concerning incident and we would urge anyone who has any information to contact the RSPCA cruelty line on 0300 1234 999.”

Colchester Borough Council added: “Unfortunately, we were unaware of this incident until this morning.

“Although a Ranger was on duty at the time in Upper Castle Park, we did not receive any reports or calls via the Park Security phone – the number of which is displayed around the park.

“We would urge the public to report such incidents to our staff or the police as a priority, before posting to social media, as this is more likely to result in a prosecution.

“We have checked the area around the lake, this morning, but found no sign of any injuries to the ducks. We will continue to monitor the situation and undertake additional patrols in the area over the next few days.”