A FEMALE swan has been murdered in a territorial battle near Worcester's Civil War centre in Sidbury.

The swan, which had nested on the canal beside The Commandery for years, was drowned by a rival pair who forced her into some bushes, where she got entangled in a polythene bag.

But the murderers have since flown off to look for a nesting site elsewhere, leaving one very lonely male swan on the canal.

Two surviving cygnets of the Commandery pair, driven away by their parents as soon as they were old enough to fend for themselves, have also been in the wars.

Dan Sidley, founder of Herefordshire and Worcestershire Swan Aid, said one was released on to the River Severn after being found stranded in a garden in Wyld's Lane.

The other was found near The Commandery on the next day, covered in blood, after ripping some of his claws out in a crash landing.

"His feet are a bit sore, but he is doing OK. The injury wasn't as bad as it looked," said Sandy Lee, of Bishops Wood Rescue Centre.

"The other cygnet was also here for a couple of days after crash-landing in Gheluvelt Park.

"Because they are young and immature they sometimes get it wrong and think a wet, shiny road is a stretch of water."

n Mrs Lee has received many calls about Percy and Gazza, the swans found in a canal drainage pipe at Claines, Worcester.

The rival males were thin and traumatised after surviving for 28 days in the cold and dark without food.

As reported in the Evening News last week, the younger bird, Gazza, soon revived at Bishops Wood, but Percy could not stand up. Yesterday he stood up for the first time.

"He is still very weak and shaky, but he is progressing very well," said Mrs Lee.

"They are both taking regular food and drink and should make a good recovery, but they had lost half their body weight and will be here several weeks until they regain it."