Meat laced with suspected poison has been discovered in a churchyard in an incident branded “disgusting” by dog walkers.

Small piles of minced meat which is believed to have been tainted were found under several trees in St Catherine’s churchyard after a dog fell ill.

Jonothan Hamer, a warden at the Preston Lane church, says three lots of raw meat were found in one of the church’s graveyards.

“It is just unbelievable that someone would do this,” he said.

“We had a message on Tuesday morning from a dog walker saying their dog had found some under a tree.

“We went on to find three lots in separate locations – all under trees.

“It was sprinkled in what is known as our closed churchyard, where no more burials are allowed.

“Because it is closed, people do walk their dogs along the footpath in there and it is concerning that this has happened.

“It was quite hard to see as the raw meat had started turning brown as it was a hot day.

“The meat has been collected and put into a bag in the freezer in case analysis needs to be done.

“The person who found the meat had to take their dog to the vets as it was showing signs of distress.

“The vet said it could be poisoning, but they can’t be sure without analysis.

“We have never had this before. It looks like it had been set there as bait.”

Dog walker Oliver Solly, of Finch Close, regularly takes family pet Lilo along the footpath but says this has put his family off doing so.

“It is disgusting that someone would do this,” the 33-year-old said.

“It is a complete shame really, it is a lovely spot used by a lot of dog walkers. My son often takes our dog Lilo there but it is has definitely put us off using that area. You have to wonder what is wrong with people to do something like that.

“I have heard that similar things have happened in other areas, such as the Rec, so we are running out of places to go now.”

The incident has been reported to police.

A spokesman said: "Police have received a report of criminal damage after a dog fell ill following a walk in Faversham.

"The dog has since recovered and the owner believes that the animal may have eaten meat containing an unknown substance in Preston Lane, Faversham.

"Officers have assessed the circumstances and spoken with the owner to provide safety advice and reassurance."