Biddulph dog walkers have been warned to stay aware after packages of food "laced with some sort of pellets" were reportedly left at a local village green.

The packages were spotted on Friday in the Newpool Meadows area, and were reported by Ellen Faulkner, who is part of a team of volunteers who manages the green.

She said: "Warning! Any dog walkers in the area please be aware several packages of food have been found around the Newpool Meadows area laced with some sort of pellets, red and green in colour.

"I have reported it to the police and the wildlife protection officer. If anyone does find any please put it into a plastic bag for the police to see."

Ellen was part of the Newpool Meadows Action Group, who previously fought to get the beauty spot designated as a village green in order to save the area from the threat of housing developments.

Now Ellen and a range of other volunteers work to cultivate local wildlife and plants on the green, and the area is also used as an educational spot for the town's schools to visit.

In an update posted to the Newpool Meadows Facebook page, Ellen added that local PCSOs have said they will aim to increase patrols in the area after the pellets were found.

She added: "Tthis morning I spoke to one of the local PCSO from Biddulph, they will hopefully be increasing patrols in the area whenever possible.

"We really could do with passing some of the contaminated food to the police so the contents can be identified.

"It would also help the vets to identify any poison if animals become sick. I pray this doesn't happen.

Keep your eyes open for anything or anyone you see acting suspiciously. Please bag and save any food dropped if it contains anything suspicious. I'm happy to liaise with the police."

Biddulph Nub News reported in October how Staffordshire Police responded to claims that their Biddulph patrols were "almost non-existent" after Newpool Meadows was repeatedly targeted by vandals.

Police said they had a "dedicated team" of officers in place in Biddulph, but accepted that there may be delays during the busiest times due to the volume of calls.

Biddulph Nub News has contacted Staffordshire Police for comment.