'Awful sight' as people ignore pleas not to feed ducks as bread dumped at Doncaster lake

A visitor to Doncaster’s Lakeside has reported the ‘awful sight,’ showing bags of stale bread dumped on the bank with whole slices of untouched bread floating in the water.

The eyewitness, who asked not to be named, said: “People think they are feeding the birds – even though there are signs saying don’t.

“But this is not on. They are just polluting the water.

"The swans and Canada geese don't want it.

Despite it being a traditional pastime for many generations of parents and their children, there have been growing calls in recent years asking people not to feed bread to ducks, with other parks and beauty spots across Doncaster urging people not to feed bread over concerns for safety of wildlife and pollution.

In 2016, volunteers at Sandall Park in Wheatley urged visitors to feed duck food rather than bread after concerns that it was killing animals and attracting rats.

Friends of Sandall Park spokesman Sandra Crabtree said: “White bread causes angel wing in the ducks and geese. This results in deformities in their wings – bones stick out with no feathers on them – disease and ultimately a horrible death.

“It pollutes the water, attracts rats and is no benefit to the seagulls who squabble over it.”

Lettuce, peas, seed or duck food are all urged as better alternatives to feed to ducks and swans, according to the RSPB, rather than bread.