January 17, 2022 3.00 pm This story is over 37 months old

Anger as swan seen eating littered takeaway box in Lincoln Brayford

“It wasn’t a very nice thing to see”
By Local Democracy Reporter

A “distressing” scene of a swan eating a discarded takeaway box has been caught on camera by a Lincoln resident, prompting questions as to what can be done to stop littering in the area.

The incident was seen on the afternoon of Saturday, January 15 at Brayford Pool in Lincoln, on the bed of water near Brayford Wharf North.

It can be seen pecking at and eating the polystyrene foam box, which appears to have been thrown into the river by a passer-by.

The swan was spotted by Channing Carveley, and she said it isn’t the only instance of litter causing harm in the Brayford that she was witness to.

She said: “It wasn’t a very nice thing to see, personally I found it quite distressing as there wasn’t anything I could do to deter the swan from eating it.

“The takeaway box could have come from anywhere, but from where I was standing there was a bin and just a little on from where this took place there were also rotted dead fish on the floating platforms for plants to grow on.”

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: “This video is very sad to see – litter is one of the biggest hazards our wildlife faces today – and it’s something that’s very easy to resolve.

“We are calling on the public to take extra care to clear up after themselves – it’s our job to protect nature and that includes properly and responsibly disposing of our litter so that animals can’t be hurt.

“The charity is calling on the public to get involved in the Great British Spring Clean to help remove litter that may endanger animals.

“If you’re concerned about the welfare of an animal please contact the RSPCA’s emergency hotline on 0300 1234 999.”

The Lincolnite has contacted The Lincoln Swan Project, a University of Lincoln funded body that aims to protect the swans in the city, for a comment on this.