Concerns over swans eating mouldy food dumped in river in Caversham
Caversham Wildlife Rescue and Support has called for community action
A wildlife group is urging people people not to dump mouldy bread into the River Thames due to the harm it can cause to animals and birds.
Members of Caversham Wildlife Rescue and Support (CWRS) claim over the past two months, five shopkeepers have been observed unloading food from their car boots and disposing of it into the river.
These incidents have been reported to Thames Valley Police, Reading Council, and the Environment Agency.
CWRS say this improper disposal of food is posing a severe threat to river wildlife, with mouldy bread linked to health conditions afflicting swans, including pink feathers that can be fatal.
The rescue group has been vocal about the risks, putting up signs warning against dumping bread into the river.
In a post on Facebook CWRS member Beci Monk urged people to take action:
"As a collective group CWRS spend a minimum of 18 hours every single day at the river.
"We are the eyes and ears of Caversham river. If we're not rescuing injured swans, geese or ducks, then we're cleaning the place up of discarded rubbish.
"We do this every day as we love our river and the wildlife in it deserves better.
"Obviously we can't be at the prom area 24/7 to stop this happening completely, so we're reaching out to you caring folk and asking that if you see anybody dumping mouldy food waste, or in fact anything that doesn’t belong there into the river then please tell them to stop if you feel comfortable to do so."