A wave of brutal attacks on swans and other birds in Surrey has sparked calls for catapults to be regulated like knives – with a warning that they are now being used to maim and kill.

Surrey’s Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Ellie Vesey-Thompson, has written to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs urging tougher legislation.

Her letter follows a disturbing rise in reports of swans, ducks and geese being maimed or killed by ball bearings fired from catapults. Shepperton Swan Sanctuary alone has rescued 30 injured birds this year – with many more believed to have died.

“In the wrong hands, catapults can be deadly, and more legislation is urgently needed.” said Ms Vesey-Thompson. “The time has come to treat them with the same seriousness as knives.”

Her comments follow a series of high-profile incidents: a swan was found in Staines in February with a missile lodged in its head; a duck was left severely wounded in January; and in May, people were reportedly seen firing at swans from Chertsey Bridge. Just over the Hampshire border in Fleet, a Canada goose was killed and a male swan was found with horrific facial injuries caused by catapults.

The attacks have led to a petition to ban the sale of catapults, started by sanctuary volunteer Danni Rogers. It has already attracted more than 10,000 signatures, including that of Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend.

While police currently have powers to deal with criminal use of catapults, Ms Vesey-Thompson said officers need greater authority to seize them before harm is done.

She added that catapults are also increasingly linked to antisocial behaviour and that she wants to give our communities the tools to stay safe – and that starts with putting proper safeguards around these weapons.