POLICE have confirmed no further police action will be undertaken into the death of a “rare” white-tailed eagle.

Two white-tailed eagles were found dead after being released as part of a reintroduction project by Forestry England in a bid to bring the breed back to the country after an absence of over 240 years, by releasing up to 60 birds over five years.

One of the eagles, with a wingspan of up to 2.5 metres, was found dead in Dorset in late January. The situation attracted widespread attention after west Dorset MP Chris Loder described the police investigation into wildlife crime as a "waste of resources" - leading to criticism by BBC presenter Chris Packham.

The wildlife campaigner and TV presenter led the criticism against remarks made by West Dorset MP Chris Loder who said police should instead focus resources on targeting county lines drug networks.

Dorset Police have now said they investigated the death and, despite finding high levels of the poison brodifacoum, could not confirm if any criminal offence had been committed.

A spokesperson said: “An investigation under Section 1 of the Wildlife Countryside Act 1981 was carried out in conjunction with the RSPB, Natural England, National Wildlife Crime Unit and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation.

“A detailed examination and tests have been carried out on the bird, which were inconclusive, and it has therefore not been possible to confirm that any criminal offence has been committed.

“While high levels of brodifacoum were detected, it has not been possible to establish whether this was as a result of a deliberate act or due to secondary rodenticide poisoning.

“As a result, no further police action will be taken in relation to this report.”