London borough wants to fine residents £100 for feeding the ducks as bread ... trends now

Feeding the ducks could soon lead to a £100 fine in one part of London, under plans to protect public spaces.

Paul Osborn, leader of local authority the London Borough of Harrow, has claimed giving ducks bread could ‘kill’ some of them, although the RSPB says feeding ducks bread in small amounts is not harmful.

Residents could also face a £100 fine even for giving ducks bird seed - which charities advise is much more suitable.

The policy proposed for Pinner Memorial Park in Harrow, and currently under consultation, was the subject of debate at a local authority meeting.

Resident Hugh Brown asked why families were being denied the ‘simple joy’ of taking their children to feed the ducks.

Councillor Osborn said: ‘I hate to tell you this but if you are feeding the ducks with bread or other similar food, whilst you may have fond memories of it, you're probably actually killing some of those ducks.’

The RSPB said this was not strictly true, except indirectly and rarely through encouraging vermin which eat duck eggs or algae which make ponds more toxic.

However the charity said Cllr Osborn was correct to warn that bread is not nutritious for ducks and fills them up, so that they end up eating a smaller amount of healthy food and risk becoming malnourished.

Mr Brown, 41, a father-of-three from Pinner, told the Mail: ‘My children love to feed the ducks so I was saddened by this policy, which seems so over the top and mean-spirited.

‘I find it hard to see how feeding birds is a public nuisance and I am afraid this is a money-making scheme.

'I’ve seen people describing this as "totally quackers" and I’m not surprised.' 

Voluntary Action Harrow Co-operative, which supports the voluntary and community sector, put a response to the proposed local authority policy on its website, including a section on feeding birds.

It states: ‘We are concerned the proposals to prohibit feeding birds in various locations will lead to the criminalisation of children and elderly people, who more typically engage in this action.

‘Elderly people especially, who do not have access to the internet, will not be aware that such enforcements are in place and that they could be penalised for their actions.’