Swans 'clean themselves up' after oil spill

A wildlife rescue says it has "stepped back" from attempting to capture two swans found covered in oil at a Lincolnshire country park.

A spill affecting part of the lake at Cleethorpes Country Park was reported to North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC) on 24 March.

Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue said the birds had managed to clean themselves up "surprisingly well", but they were still monitoring them.

"They are also now nesting and have eggs, which they are actively tending to; eggs we wouldn't be able to take with us if the birds were captured," the charity's post on social media added.

The charity had attempted to rescue the birds, and were assisted by swan rescue organisations, but all attempts were unsuccessful.

"Given that most of the oil has now cleared and the current situation with nesting, we feel that stepping back to monitoring at this time is the most appropriate course of action," the charity said.

The charity said the swans' health did not appear to have been compromised.

Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue said: "We understand how much people care about these swans, and we hope this update helps explain our decision-making."

NELC said workers at the site had found a pair of gloves and an empty bottle, which they believed contained oil.

The authority installed absorbent booms in the lake to soak up any remaining oil and said it would work with the Environment Agency to understand the longer-term impact.

Council officials also issued a plea to people to respect the parkland and the area's wildlife.

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