Family of swans given bath by rescuers after cooking oil flows into Milton Keynes lake

A family of swans had to be given special wetroom treatment after used cooking oil ended up in the city’s Teardrop Lakes.

A food van business owner, who is now being prosecuted by the Environment Agency, allegedly tipped the oil down a nearby drain and it flowed into the lake.

This caused distress to a pair of swans and their six cygnets and experts from The Waterfowl Sanctuary in Huntingdon were called to the scene.

“This swan family had clearly gone through the slick but we left it a few days to monitor as vegetable oil isn't toxic and they didn't look too bad,” said a spokesperson for the sanctuary.

However, the swans were spending the whole day on the grass preening themselves in a bid to remove the oil. And they smelled just like fish and chips, said the rescuers.

A decision was made to round them up by building a special pen around them, them putting them in special travel bags to transport them back to the rescue centre.

There, they were put in a purpose-built wet room and bathed until all the oil was removed.

Meanwhile Anglian Water and the Environment Agency attended Teardrop Lakes and put booms in the water to absorb the oil.

"They were able to work out where the oil was poured and who the culprit was and are prosecuting,” said the sanctuary spokesperson.

The Food Standards Agency warns that all waste cooking oil from catering businesses must be taken to an authorised site for recovery or disposal and cannot be thrown out with the rest of the kitchen waste.

They say the oil must not be poured down drains or sewers because this causes blockages, bad smell, vermin problems, and pollutes watercourses leading to problems for wildlife.

"If waste cooking oil is poured down drains or sewers, it can result in potential prosecution,” said a spokesperson.

The Teardrop Lake incident was the latest in a series of recent swan rescues in Milton Keynes. Earlier this week the Citizen reported how the birds were getting injured by fishing lines and hooks, particularly at Furzton Lake.

This has led to a war of words between wildlife rescuers and local anglers.