Concerns over swans eating dumped mouldy food

A council is discouraging people from dumping rotten food into a river after a wildlife group said it had witnessed large quantities of mouldy food being thrown away.

Caversham Wildlife Rescue and Support (CWRS) in Reading claims business owners are fly-tipping in the river and believes swans are being harmed as a result.

Lauren Ayres, co-founder of the volunteer group, said: "We have quite a large population of [swans] and they're loved by the people of Caversham so it's quite a worrying situation that we find ourselves in."

Reading Borough Council has not identified who is responsible but said its "primary concern" was to protect local wildlife and ensure its safety.

According to the RSPCA, decaying bread can cause a fungus in water that gets on swans' bills, spreading to their feathers when they preen, to become a condition known as pink feather syndrome.

It reduces their natural waterproofing and their ability to swim and fly, turning feathers brittle and waterlogged and leaving them at risk of dying from hypothermia.

Ayres believes this is why the mouldy bread is "incredibly dangerous" and is concerned that "full loaves of bread alive with mould" are being thrown in the water.

"It's sad because Caversham is a beautiful area with lots of lovely people and lots of lovely animals to come and see," she added.

"People walk up and down here with their families and it's a much-loved place to be, so it's worrying that there are people out here that aren't taking care of it in the way that we would like them to, and the way that they should."

CWRS co-founder Graham Neale said dumping at the site near Caversham Bridge was first witnessed by a local volunteer about two months ago.

"The guy enticed the swans over with bird feed... then once all the swans were over, he started getting open his boot and throwing all kinds of mouldy food," he explained.

"But it wasn't just a few weeks old, it was completely covered in green mould, disgusting.

"He was throwing that in the river and [the volunteer] told him not to, and then she tried to get as much out of the river as she could."

He said volunteers saw other people doing the same thing on three subsequent occasions, and when challenged they would say it was cheaper to throw food waste into the river than pay a private contractor.

Neale said: "They told us that, but they wouldn't give us their names and addresses, obviously. So that's when we knew there is a big problem."

CWRS then put up signs in the area to dissuade the practice, though two weeks ago Neale says he still came across a couple carrying bin bags of mouldy food by the river.

In a statement, Reading Borough Council said: "It is clearly unacceptable for individuals to be dumping items of food into the river and, having received the reports, the council is treating this as fly-tipping to address this and protect the swans.

"At this time, there is no clear evidence to identify who the individuals may be so we would ask anyone with any information to please provide it to our recycling and enforcement team which will help us identify and take the necessary action against the perpetrators."

It said it was looking at increasing signage in the area to "discourage" the "irresponsible behaviour" which could "result in substantial fines and/or prosecution".

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: "We know how much people enjoy feeding swans, ducks and geese, however it's important to make sure they are given the right food.

"Unfortunately bread fills them up without giving them the nutrients they need and it can affect their health.

"We'd encourage people to offer them finely chopped greens, such as cabbage, spinach and lettuce, as well as mixed corn, grain, wheat or bird seed.

"Any feeding should also be done in moderation and only as a supplement to their natural diet."