London council wants to fine people £100 for feeding ducks

A council in northwest London wants to introduce £100 fines for people who feed the ducks.

Harrow Council wants to put in place a public space protection order (PSPO) for Pinner Memorial Park in due to "particular issues" with duck feeding in the borough's parks.

If the fines are not paid and the dispute escalates to court, it could end up with a penalty of £1,000.

"Not only can this be harmful to ducks and contaminate the water, it can also attract vermin," a council spokesperson told ITV News.

"This is why we included it in our PSPO consultation, and we look forward to reviewing local responses before taking a final decision."

Harrow Council is considering a duck-feeding ban over fears it could attract vermin and harm the birds, but many will be disappointed, ITV London's Kaf Okpattah reports

The consultation asked residents how they could take firmer action on issues including dog fouling, street drinking, spitting, or anything else that causes a nuisance or affects their quality of life.

"PSPOs are a useful tool, giving councils more power and more discretion to tackle problems, but we can only use them with consent – the views of local people are integral," the council added.

Not all residents are happy with the idea, with one questioning cabinet member for environment, Councillor Anjana Patel at a meeting last week.

“Many parents and grandparents across Harrow will have experienced the simple joy of taking the kids to feed the ducks, I know I certainly have," said Hugh Brown.

"I appreciate the need to discourage people from leaving large deposits of food, but presumably this would already be covered by anti-littering rules.

"Is it really necessary to introduce an outright ban on feeding the ducks, denying the simplest of joys to our residents?”

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Council leader Paul Osborn, warned that feeding ducks with bread is bad for them and that scattering food around the park is likely to attract vermin and could potentially contaminate the water.

One parkgoer told ITV News: "It's a bit of a shame for families and kids who've come here to enjoy the park.

"If it's bad for the ducks then it's got to stop, as far as I'm aware they look okay to me, but what do I know?"

Harrow Council is not the first authority in London to take this step, with Ealing Council previously issuing an £150 to someone for feeding the ducks.