Harrow Council wants to fine residents who feed the ducks and swans at a local park.
At a council meeting this week, councillor Paul Osborne warned feeding ducks bread, or any other leftover food was killing the animals.
Mr Osborne supported his argument by referencing the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Canal River Trust, who said bread only fills a duck’s stomach and provides no nourishment for them.
The council now wants to institute a public space protection order in Pinner Memorial Park which could ban the practice and see perpetrators hit with a £100 fine – fines can already be issued in Harrow town centre.
Asked by local resident Hugh Brown, if the ban was necessary, Cllr Osborne said: “I hate to tell you this, but if you were feeding the ducks with bread or other similar foods, whilst you may have fond memories of it, you are probably actually killing some of the ducks.”
Cllr Osborne went further to warn uneaten bread and food leads to water contamination and encourages vermin.
“It’s a shame it can’t be a bit more nuanced and give that discretion to people feeding real duck food,” Mr Brown said in response.
"It singles out the memorial park but no explanation of why not other parks.
"Many parents and grandparents will have experienced the simple joy of taking the kids to feed the ducks. I was concerned and somewhat surprised to see that the council’s PSPO would prohibit this.”
The council leader concluded, however: “The challenge there is the feeding of the ducks in the Pinner Memorial Park causes real problems with pigeons.”
