POLICE officers and an RSPCA inspector swooped on a bungalow in St Mary Cray this morning, seizing several birds including a cockerel.
The police had a warrant to search the property in Ethelbert Road after reports chickens were being kept there.
A 48-year-old man living there was banned from keeping animals after a previous animal cruelty case so the RSPCA inspector, helped by officers from the Cray Valley East safer neighbourhood team, confiscated several birds including chickens, budgies, quails and a cockerel.
They also seized an incubator which was heating more than a dozen eggs in preparation for hatching.
The animals were carefully boxed and driven to a vet by the animal charity’s inspector.
The raid took place at around 8am and officers spent 90 minutes at the scene catching the quail and chickens in the garden.
The budgies were apparently caged inside the bungalow.
Sergeant Stuart Baker, head of Cray Valley East safer neighbourhood team, said: “The gentleman at the address is banned for life from keeping animals following a prosecution last year by the RSPCA.
“We obtained a warrant for the address and inside found chickens, cockerels, quails, chicken eggs, a large amount of incubation equipment, and numerous other birds.
“They’ve been taken by the RSPCA to a vet to be examined.”
It is not known who the animals belong to and the 48-year-old man was questioned at the scene about his involvement.
He was later issued with a court summons by the RSPCA for allegedly keeping animals under his control while being banned.
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