Royal swan count finds swans hit by air guns

Mr Barber says the swan upping event is “unique” and every July it attracts people from all over the world.

However, he wants to use the attention to improve protection for swans, particularly in terms of educating people about not harming them.

This year’s swan upping trip up the river had the involvement of schools along the route, in an attempt to spread the message about protecting wildlife.

In previous years the quirky event, watched by onlookers along the river, had been used to tell fishermen to be careful about not leaving fishing tackle or hooks that could hurt swans.

Swan upping, which dates back to the Middle Ages, began as a way of counting the birds which were valuable property – with any unmarked mute swans being the property of the Crown.