A North East Lincolnshire Councillor is reminding the public to respect wildlife and open spaces following an act of mindless vandalism in Cleethorpes.
Reports of an oil spill in Cleethorpes Country Park were received this morning, Tuesday, 24 March, stating that some of the water and swans had become contaminated by oil.
Upon further inspection, officers located and retrieved an empty bottle from the water – believed to have contained the oil.
The Council are urging people to respect these public spaces and reminding them to care for the animals that live there after some of the swans became coated in the liquid.
To help reduce the impact, drainage officers have placed absorbent pillars in the river to soak up the remaining oil and ensure no more wildlife is affected as a result.
Officers are also working with the Environment Agency to understand what the next steps are and how best to remove as much oil as possible from the waterway.
“This is frankly unacceptable in every sense of the word,” said Councillor Henry Hudson, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Net Zero.
He added: “Not only is this disrespecting the beautiful open spaces that our borough offers, but it’s also putting the animals who live there in danger.
“If anyone has any information on this incident we would greatly appreciate them coming forward to help resolve the matter.”
Regarding the effect it has on the wildlife, spilt oil can massively effect numerous factors:
- Illness – if the liquid coats bird’s feathers, it can destroy natural insulation and waterproofing leading to possible hypothermia
- Poisoning – If the animals were to swallow the oil this could lead to organ disease and potentially kill them
- Movement – Should there be a large amount of oil covering birds, it could prevent them from moving/flying or even catching their prey
- Reproduction – Oil can damage reproductive organs and can also cause birth defects should it damage the eggs
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