Here's why you shouldn't feed bread to the ducks

Pictures have emerged of the lake littered with bread after the Bank Holiday weekend which saw a surge in visitors to the Arboretum looking to feed the ducks.

But Staffordshire Wildlife Trust has issued a warning about the dangers of feeding ducks bread, while the Arboretum itself has raised concerns over the effect the bread is going to have on the lake's water.

Louise Worton, the Arboretum's manager, said: "Bread does not kill the ducks but it effects the nutritional value and it damages the water quality. It alters the nutritional value in the water if it continues long term which thankfully this hasn't.

"It's so bad at the moment because of the Bank Holiday weekend and one of the popular activities to do is feed the ducks. It does not happen on a daily basis. We do sell duck food to feed the ducks with and we would ask people to buy and use this food, not feed the ducks bread."

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, who themselves have had problems with bread being fed to ducks at their Wolseley and Westport Lake visitor centres, reminded people of the health effects of bread.

A spokesman for the trust said: "Bread is not great for a duck's health as it is nothing like their natural diet so we'd suggest people not overfeeding them with large quantities of it.

"While birds might find white bread tasty, for example, there is a danger they will fill up on it instead of other foods which could be more beneficial to them.

"There is also a risk that ducks and other water fowl could pick up an illness known as angel wing, which is caused by not getting the right nutrients in their diet. The illness causes a deformity in birds' wings that can hamper the way they fly or even stop them altogether, which could be fatal.

"We would recommend people trying to vary what they give them and swap the bread for more natural treats like oats, corn or defrosted frozen peas."