A video showing deer in Bushy Park surrounded by litter has sparked outrage online and prompted further action from the park authorities.

The video posted by Twitter user Sue Lindenberg on August 10 shows to male deer walking and rummaging amongst piles of trash left next to overflowing bins at Bushy Park.

A spokesperson for Royal Parks who run the parks said that the video highlighted twin issues in the park regarding littering and visitors attempting to feed the deer.

"Shocking footage of wild deer feeding on dumped rubbish in Bushy Park reveals the harmful effects of left litter on wildlife," a spokesperson said.

"Two fallow deer are seen seeking out and munching leftover food waste from plastic bags that have been stacked by bins.

"Dumped litter presents a huge risk to wildlife which is attracted to picnic scraps and sadly can accidently eat plastic bags along with the food. The plastic can block their digestive system causing a lingering death from starvation," they added.

As the Richmond and Twickenham Times (RTT) reported previously, Richmond and Bushy Parks in the borough experienced a surge in littering recently, in particular after lockdown restrictions designed to curb the spread of Covid-19 coronavirus were lifted.

Royal Parks pointed out that in Richmond Park for example, rubbish left by visitors had increased 7-fold during June compared to last year's figures.

As bins overflow, park authorities are urging visitors to take litter home with them instead of leaving it nearby a bin.

"This is an incredibly sad scene to capture," Bill Swan, assistant park manager at Bushy Park said.

Richmond and Twickenham Times: Deer pictured with bicycle inner tube stuck in antlers, Richmond Park. Deer pictured with bicycle inner tube stuck in antlers, Richmond Park.

"A witness told us that at one point one of the deer managed to hook a carrier bag full of cans and rubbish in its antler which it found distressing.

"We’re finding more litter being left than ever before and we urge people to bin it or if the bins are already full to please take it home," he added.

"It’s all too common that we spot deer, foxes, squirrels and birds eating plastic and other rubbish left behind by visitors, causing their stomachs to block up and bloat and preventing them passing waste.

"We want people to enjoy their visit to the beautiful spaces in our parks, but we ask visitors to stop, think and protect the wildlife they are there to enjoy."