The rotting corpse of a deer that has been floating in the water at a popular High Wycombe park was not retrieved for weeks - because council staff could not reach it. 

There were complaints from members of the public about the smell in the Dyke, at The Rye in High Wycombe, because the body of a Muntjac deer was floating in the water. 

It had reportedly been there for around four weeks, close to the top of the waterfall - a popular area for children to paddle in.

The Bucks Free Press asked Buckinghamshire Council when they were due to deal with the problem after frustrated park visitors got in touch with the paper. 

A spokesman said they were aware of the issue - but hadn't been able to reach it to pull it out. 

In a statement sent on June 9, they said: "We are aware of the dead deer and have been tracking it since it was first reported. Unfortunately we have been unable to reach it to pull it out safely.

"We have someone visiting the site again tomorrow morning to see if we are able to retrieve it."