Warning: the following contains content some readers may find distressing.

ANIMAL park staff have been left heartbroken after eggs were taken from an incubator and smashed on the floor by a customer.

The director of Marsh Farm, in South Woodham Ferrers, has informed customers that their egg incubators have now been moved away from the public after a “devastating” incident at the site.

Staff were horrified to find eggs from the incubator smashed on the floor yesterday.

The eggs were in their first week of incubation after being laid by chickens.

Maldon and Burnham Standard: Egg incubator: eggs in incubation at the farmEgg incubator: eggs in incubation at the farm (Image: Marsh Farm)

It is believed that a child is responsible due to paperwork also being scribbled over.

Aaron Othman, director of Marsh Farm said the situation “broke his heart”.

He said: “My manager called me up and told me that a customer took eggs from our incubator and smashed them on the floor.

“We know it was a child or children as they scribbled all over our paperwork as well.

Maldon and Burnham Standard: Smashed egg: egg found by staffSmashed egg: egg found by staff (Image: Marsh Farm)

“We have had our hatchery at Marsh Farm for many years and we have never had a situation like this.

“I was speechless. I was upset.“

He added: “I am a dad myself and I understand that having children is difficult.

“Supervising them and parenting them is hard. I totally get it.

“As a parent I would want to know if my child had done this and that if my child told me I would make sure an apology would be made.

“I am upset that my team had to deal with this today.

Maldon and Burnham Standard: Heartbreaking: eggs found by staffHeartbreaking: eggs found by staff (Image: Marsh Farm)

“They have worked so hard to get our Easter event up and running.

“It’s just something that I would not expect to happen, or something that I would want my team to deal with.

“I know my team are devastated and I need to reassure them, motivate them and pick them up.

“To prevent this from happening again we have now moved the incubators away from the public even though they were in a non-customer area which had a gate.

“Upsetting times today and I just wanted to share this with the customers.”