Goodmayes: Swans 'covered' in oil rescued from park lake

The lake in Goodmayes Park has been contaminated by an "influx" of the oil, a rescuer for The Swan Sanctuary claimed.

Four birds - two swans, a cygnet and a Canada goose - from the lake have been brought to The Swan Sanctuary for rehabilitation since January 19.

Three swans - two adults and a cygnet - were taken to the swan sanctuary on January 19 and 20 (Image: Swan Sanctuary)

Rescuer Gill Walker said: "[Their] feathers get clogged up, their feathers get contaminated and they don't work well as insulation when they're all clogged together with oil so they have to go into the swan sanctuary where they are washed to get that oil off.

"But that washing also removes their natural waterproofing so they're not buoyant in the water.

"It takes a long time for them - with clean water and lots of preening - to regain their waterproofing to make them able to come back into the world again.

"[It is] a major interruption in their life cycle so they're unlikely to be able to be back in time for the breeding season this year."

Gill continued: "The birds were so covered in cooking oil so we're probably talking about a considerable amount, so for example a commercial chip fryer or something like that."

She felt that cooking oil was running into the lake, either because it had been poured down a street drain or down a kitchen drain that was not properly directed.

Gill said this Canada goose was rescued in a state of malnutrition as he could not get on the water since the oil made him sink (Image: Swan Sanctuary)

She said: "What we want to stress is people need to realise if [they] put oil down their drain and it's misconnected - so in other words it's connected to the surface drain rather than the sewage drain - [that is a problem]."

She added that the process of washing the swans is "stressful" and a "serious interruption" for the animals.

Gill explained: "Normally now these adults would be finding themselves a breeding territory and getting ready to nest which is what the pair were doing when they flew into Goodmayes.

"We of course have to interrupt that and take that away.

"Other birds that have flown in since this event, we are trying to keep them away basically."

A Redbridge Council spokesperson said: "We were concerned to learn of these reports and have already spoken to The Swan Sanctuary.

"Our teams have been briefed to tackle any individual seen fly-tipping into the lake or surrounding area.

"If people witness anyone depositing any harmful fluid in our parks, we would ask them to report it immediately by emailing our parks team at parks.enquiries@visionrcl.org.uk."