A dead stag has been left to decompose by the roadside for over a week.

The animal was found with no antlers in Colney Heath on Monday, August 5 and reported to the council as a possible act of animal cruelty.

Local residents are upset to see that it is still in Barley Mow Lane, between Colney Heath and Tyttenhanger.

St Albans City and District Council tried to get it removed last week as soon as it was reported, but a specialist removal firm has not yet attended the scene.

Resident Lorraine Morris said: "The stag is still there. No removal to the pet crematorium, it is just decaying on the road side.

"The smell is awful. I walk past it twice a day."

A spokesperson for the council said: "We had arranged for a specialist contractor to remove it. They did not do so for reasons that are unclear.

"They have since gone back and say that the body is too decomposed for them to deal with. We are now looking at removing it by some other method and that should be done today."

Multiple people reported the stag to Cllr Chris Brazier, who reported the body to St Albans council and Veolia, the council's waste contractor.

Cllr Brazier said: "The horns have been removed and the carcass just dumped on the road. It's just another act of vandalism on our wildlife. People don't care."