The discovery of up to 100 dead pigeons along a country road remains a mystery after veterinary examinations failed to establish a cause of their death.

Motorists travelling to work along a scenic country road had to swerve around the carcasses of the pigeons on the route between Telscombe village and Rodmell on Friday.

The corpses were lying at the sides of the road and at one point, right up the centre.

Several of the dead birds were in plastic bags. Wildlife experts first believed the birds had been shot and bagged up. It was thought someone had loaded the dead birds on to the back of a truck, not realising they were falling off when they drove off.

Two of the birds' carcasses were taken to a veterinary clinic in Peacehaven for X-rays and a post-mortem examination, which failed to establish as cause of death.

Trevor Weeks, rescue coordinator for the East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service, said: "The tests were inconclusive. The X-rays showed that there were no signs of shooting but maggots had started to eat away at the birds so it was difficult to examine them."

Mr Weeks is to report the killing to the Government's Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Mr Weeks said the dumping of animals in this way would be a breach of the 1990 Environmental Protection Act, with fines of up to £5,000 and the matter was being reported to Lewes District Council.