WITH its ducks dabbling in a quaint waterside setting and beautiful timber-framed cottages, Kersey has been described as “a little piece of heaven”.

WITH its ducks dabbling in a quaint waterside setting and beautiful timber-framed cottages, Kersey has been described as “a little piece of heaven”.

At the heart of its appeal has always been the attractive water splash at the bottom of the village, with, of course, its ducks and their cute ducklings.

But this year, for reasons unexplained, its once flourishing contingent of ducks has almost completely disappeared.

And the mass exodus of the village's waterfowl has left residents baffled and fearful that some of Kersey's appeal - which for generations has attracted visitors from across the world - could be lost forever.

Resident Marianne Lash said the best explanation for the disappearance of the village's treasured duck population was old age (in the case of its Muscovy ducks) and predators (in the case of its wild mallards).

Her fellow resident Rachel Wells said the situation was dire. “We've not got any now. The really old Muscovy ducks just died off and the other ones just seem to have gone.

“People used to come with their children to feed the ducks - it is what many people came to Kersey for. It has been a few months now that we've had no ducks at all. Last summer there were not as many and it has been gradually dwindling each year.”

But according to John Maltby, vice-chairman of Kersey Parish Council, hope could be on the horizon in the form of one duck with about 12 ducklings which has been spotted in the area.

It is hoped, he said, that the brood will decide to settle down at the village's Water Splash.

Mr Maltby said: “These are wild animals and we can't bag them up and say 'you live here, instead of there' and nothing can be relied on.”