A pigeon cruelly shot with an air gun has died from his injuries, despite efforts to save him.

Peefer pigeon had been adopted by hairdressers at Headmasters in Weybridge and used to visit them every morning for a feed.

But on May 29 he did not seem himself and the hairdressers found what looked like a bloodied bullet wound on him.

He was taken to the Wildlife Aid Foundation, a charity based in Leatherhead, but they were unable to save him because of the seriousness of the wound, despite him being a “spirited chap”.

Hospital manager Lucy Kells said: “It is so sad, we are all really gutted here that we lost him. We really did try so hard.”

She called for airguns to be outlawed after the hospital saw a string of similar injuries in animals.

Bethany Sims, a 17-year-old hairdressing assistant at the salon, said: “It’s horrible to think someone could hurt a pigeon like that.”