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Feeding the ducks could soon lead to a £100 fine in part of London, as part of plans to protect public spaces.
Local government leader Paul Osborn for the London Borough of Harrow has claimed that giving bread to ducks could ‘kill’ some of them, although the RSPB says feeding duck bread in small amounts is not harmful.
Residents can also be fined £100 even for giving duck birdseed – which charities say is far more appropriate.
The proposed policy for Pinner Memorial Park in Harrow, which is currently under consultation, was the subject of debate at a local authority meeting.
Resident Hugh Brown asked why families were denied the “simple joy” of taking their children to feed the ducks.
Feeding the ducks has long been a cherished tradition for families, but the London Borough of Harrow wants to end it in one public park (file photo)
Councilor Osborn said, “I hate to tell you this, but if you feed the ducks bread or other similar food, when you may have fond memories of it, you’ll probably kill some of those ducks.”
The RSPB said this was not entirely true, except indirectly and rarely by encouraging pests that eat duck eggs or algae that make ponds more toxic.
However, the charity said Cllr Osborn was right when he warned that bread is not nutritious for ducks and fills them up so they end up eating a smaller amount of healthy food and risk becoming malnourished.
Brown, 41, a father of three from Pinner, told the Mail: ‘My kids love feeding the ducks so I was saddened by this policy, which seems so over the top and mean.
‘It is hard for me to see how feeding birds is a public nuisance and I fear that this is a money-making scheme.
“I’ve seen people describe this as ‘totally quack’ and I’m not surprised.”
Voluntary action Harrow Co-operative, which supports the voluntary and community sector, posted a response to the proposed local government policy on its website, including a section on bird feeding.
It says: ‘We are concerned that the proposals to ban bird feeding in several locations will lead to the criminalization of children and the elderly, who are more likely to participate in this action.
“Especially the elderly, who do not have access to the internet, will not know that such enforcement exists and that they can be punished for their actions.”
The London Borough of Harrow is discussing fining people for specifically feeding ducks and pigeons, and only in Pinner Memorial Park (pictured)
While the current advice is not to feed ducks, swans and geese, to prevent them from congregating and risking bird flu, the RSPB says that in normal times there is no reason not to feed these birds – especially with the best types of food , which includes chopped greens, wheat, and corn.
The London Borough of Harrow is discussing fining people for feeding ducks and pigeons in particular, and only in Pinner Memorial Park, with the consultation raising the issues of nuisance to park users as a result of feeding these birds .
The municipality already fines people for feeding birds, including birdseed, in the city center.
People have been controversially fined for feeding birds before, in various parts of the country, but the fines are mostly for litter.
In a statement, the London Borough of Harrow said its Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which includes possible policies to fine people for feeding ducks, would aim to tackle ‘neighborhood nuisance’ and protect public spaces , and also includes action about dog poop, street drinking and spitting.
A spokesman for the local government said: ‘There are specific problems with feeding ducks in our parks.
‘Not only can this harm ducks and pollute the water, it can also attract vermin.
‘PSPOs are a useful tool, giving municipalities more power and more freedom to tackle problems, but we can only use them with consent – the opinion of the local population is integral.’
A spokesman for the RSPB said: ‘Birds, like us, need a varied diet to stay healthy. ‘While ducks and swans can digest all types of bread, too much can make them feel full without providing them with all the important vitamins, minerals and nutrients they need.
‘So while bread is not harmful, our advice is to only feed small amounts to birds. “Alternatively, we encourage people to use things like sweetcorn, oatmeal, thawed frozen peas, and birdseed.”
On feeding waterfowl, the RSPCA said: ‘We recommend that people give small amounts of grain such as wheat, maize or birdseed, plus freshly chopped vegetables such as cabbage or spinach, as these supplement the birds’ natural diet and help provide the birds with of the necessary nutrients to keep them healthy.’
Laura Mulholland, an ecologist at Canal & River Trust, said: ‘Feeding the ducks is a favorite pastime for many families.
“We ask people to think about a varied diet rather than simply stale white bread, which can fill them up and prevent them from eating more nutritious meals.”