LEVELS of raptor persecution in the North of England are among the highest in the country, according to newly-revealed data.

There were more than 1,200 recorded ‘cases of harm’ to birds of prey during the last 12 years, with Cumbria accounting for 2.9 per cent of persecutions and North Yorkshire a staggering 10.6 per cent.

This is according to data from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) which was shared with BBC Inside Out.

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, wild birds, their nests and eggs are protected, subject to certain exceptions.

Stuart Grainger, of North Yorkshire Police, said that, nationally, 68 per cent of those convicted of wildlife persecution were gamekeepers. He added there were “more confirmed cases of raptor persecution in this county than anywhere else in the UK.”

“There is a problem with, I would say, a small section of gamekeepers that have a disproportionate impact on those birds of prey but also on the reputation of their profession,” he said.

The recorded ‘cases of harm’ against raptors include nearly 500 shooting incidents, around 500 poisonings and nearly 200 trappings.

Species persecuted include buzzards, red kites and hen harriers. The hen harrier, which lives and nests on moorland, is among the worst affected.

Mark Thomas, head of investigations at the RSPB, said: “The people killing these birds know exactly what they are doing.

“We have very good evidence, we have video footage, they have gone out there, they know where the nest is on the moor, they have walked up to the nest and they have blasted the chicks and killed them at close range.

“We have evidence of that, it is indisputable that that is going on.”