This photo of a duck slowly being strangled by a plastic can ring shows the shocking result of littering.

The picture was taken by photographer Ian Kirk at Hatch Pond in Poole on Sunday and posted to the Echo's Flickr group. 

Mr Kirk, a plumber from Broadstone, reported it to the RSPCA who now face a race against time to save the bird.

“It was not in a good way,” he said. “I tried to catch it and it was obviously a bit sluggish, but it got away.”

Annually, the RSPCA receives more than 7,000 calls about wildlife, farm animals and pets hurt, trapped or killed by carelessly dumped rubbish – likely to be just the tip of the iceberg.

RSPCA spokesman Katya Mira said everyday objects posed a real hazard, from elastic bands caught around necks or swallowed, to plastic bags which suffocate.

“The message here really is stark but simple – litter is lethal,” she added.

It comes as the Marine Conservation Society reveals the litter on our beaches has increased yet again, amid fears anti-littering campaigns are being ignored.

The results of last September’s MCS annual Beachwatch survey revealed beach litter was at the highest levels seen since 2008. Plastic litter, which makes up almost two thirds of total litter recorded, was up three per cent, and cigarette litter up a staggering 90 per cent.

Reports today say Dorset's beaches are the fourth worst in the country for litter, with Chesil Cove being singled out as the second worst in the UK.

In Dorset, where the survey was carried out at 10 beaches including Chesil Beach, Chapman’s Pool and Hengistbury Head, volunteers gathered 167 bags, containing almost 12,000 items of rubbish weighing almost one tonne – that includes five bags with 16.2kg of rubbish from Hengistbury Head alone.

Lauren Eyles, MCS Beachwatch officer, said: “This year’s figures point to people becoming less bothered about littering. We must hammer home the message that litter is completely unacceptable in the 21st century.”

Annually, the RSPCA receives more than 7,000 calls about wildlife, farm animals and pets hurt, trapped or killed by carelessly dumped rubbish –likely to be just the tip of the iceberg.

RSPCA spokesman Katya Mira said everyday objects posed a real hazard, from elastic bands caught around necks or swallowed, to plastic bags which suffocate.

“The message here really is stark but simple – litter is lethal,” she added.