AN north Essex charity has issued a warning to gardeners after an owl had to be put down when it was left "unable to escape" after getting trapped in garden netting. 

The tawny owl had become entangled in some netting while the homeowners in Halstead were on holiday. 

The bird was rushed to the vets and taken to an owl rescue with charity bosses saying it was "skin and bone". 

Owls and Birds of Prey Rescue, was set up by Stephanie Callister-Jarrold more than a decade ago.

She said: "When Linkswood called me I went straight over to look at the owl, and it was literally skin and bone.

“The poor thing had been trapped in the netting for goodness knows how long, the home owners had been away, so we don’t know the exact duration.

“He couldn’t even hold his head up, so we made the decision to end his suffering – the chances of bringing a bird back that’s so close to death is virtually non-existent.

“It’s so sad and it’s such a waste – we’re encouraging people to attract birds and then we’re killing them by neglect, it’s a travesty.”

This week’s incident marks the third injury caused by netting the charity has seen in the last few months.

“The dangers of netting to birds are catastrophic.” Stephanie said

“People put it over raspberry canes, flowers, ponds – which is fine, but it must be kept tight.

“When the material is sagging, birds can be completely infolded which will make them panic resulting in them being unable to escape.

“If you have netting up you must check it twice a day, first thing in the morning and last thing at night – that way anything that’s caught in it will only be trapped for 8 hours maximum.

“That’s still far too long, but better than days.”

Stephanie has urged home owners to take care when installing netting in their gardens and look for alternatives where possible.

For more information, visit owlsandbirdsofpreyrescue.co.uk.