DOG owners have been warned after a mysterious set of lungs were left on a city footpath, raising fears they were potentially poisoned bait laid for foxes.

The fully-intact organs were found in Warndon on Wednesday (January 23) and posted to Facebook page Warndon Villages Community Group.

Members speculated what sort of animal they might be from, with many referring to how fresh they looked and how clean they had been cut.

Lynne Leith claimed there were likely from a muntjac deer and that it appeared someone had killed the animal before field dressing it and surgically removing the lungs.

Warndon Parish councillor Andrew Cross warned that the organs, on the footpath between Bolton Avenue and Hever Avenue, may have been poisoned and should be reported to police.

Explaining that it was the “start of lambing season”, he believed they could have been placed there to kill foxes.

He said there’s “not enough blood and offal visible in the photo to indicate field slaughter” – rather it was more than likely they were “placed there”.

Cllr Cross went on to say: “EU regulations make it an offence for a person to use any type of meat, fish, egg or other animal substance as bait to poison or stupefy birds or animals such as otters and pine martens, unless licensed to do so.

"This means that although pine martens can cause extensive loss to farmers, poisoning is not an option.”

The lungs had reportedly gone the following day.

It is unclear whether if the incident was reported to the police.