Lead poisoning fear over swans and Chasewater
Visitors to Chasewater are being urged not to feed the swans or other birds in certain areas – due to fears of lead poisoning.
RSPCA officers were spotted down at the reservoir last week helping some of the birds after they were taken ill.
The charity confirmed one was also found dead.
Staffordshire County Council has warned visitors that because the water levels are so low after a dry spring, it means the swans are more at risk of being exposed to some lead in areas from the old rifle range.
Gill Heath, from the council, said: “There is some lead in one area which stems from old uses of the site and when water levels are low there is a risk that swans can swallow it while feeding and ingesting grit, which they do to aid digestion.
“Rangers are keeping an eye on the situation and have put signs up in the affected areas asking people not to feed swans and other waterfowl there.
“We would ask visitors to the site to follow this advice and contact the rangers or RSPCA if they see any birds in distress.”
A spokesman for the RSPCA added: "We are finding high levels of lead fragments in the water particularly where the water level is low. This may be coming from an old firing range used during the war.
"What we would like to see happen is that the authority responsible for the care and management of Chasewater address the cause, that may be a simple matter of keeping the water levels up so the bottom is too deep for the swans to feed from or drain the water down and clear the lead from mud in the bottom in this particular area.
"We appreciate public concern for the swans here and will continue to monitor the site."
