TAKEAWAY food found dumped in Doffcocker Lodge has been branded “harmful” to wildfowl by experts.

Food that resembles pizza bases, naan breads and tortilla wraps was discovered floating around the edge of the water last Tuesday (September 9) by horrified local resident Megan Hamer who was walking her dog.

The discovery comes just weeks after The Bolton News reported that botulism was likely to be the blame for a recent surge in avian deaths at the lodge, including swan cygnets.

Bolton Council put up signs telling dog owners not to allow their pets to swim in the water after the substance, first thought to be poisonous blue-green algae, claimed the lives of the birds.

But to add to the issues at the lodge, the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency has now confirmed that the human food found in the water can also be harmful to wildfowl.

Miss Hamer, aged 23, said: “I don’t understand why someone would just dump that kind of thing into the water — especially as there are bins all over the place. Surely it is dangerous for animals to eat food like that? Plus it’s unhygienic.

“I know people feed bread to the ducks but takeaway bread is not the same. Animals should not be eating human food because it can disrupt their digestive system.

“The lodge has always been such a nice area to live near until recently when signs about green algae were put up and then the reports of botulism.

“Even swans have died and they are important species and under the Queen’s protection, so I think that they should be properly looked after. It is also really important that the lake is kept clean so that any dogs swimming in the water don’t become unwell.”

A spokesperson for the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) said: “Large amounts of bread and other human foodstuffs can be harmful to wildfowl, leading to potentially fatal or disabling health conditions.

“Uneaten food can also cause changes to the chemical and bacteriological content of water, increasing the risk of avian disease.”

A council spokesman said: “We will be sending out a team to try and remove the flytipping and clear up the waste. It will be a difficult location to tackle as the food waste in the water is likely to break up but we will try our best. Whenever we have evidence we will prosecute flytippers.”