Use your loaf... and don't feed bread to the ducks

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It has been a treasured family pastime for generations - but feeding bread to ducks is no longer on the menu. Experts say that leftover crusts and crumbs are polluting our waterways - and they are not very healthy for ducks to eat. Instead, conservationists say, we should offer our feathered friends a more balanced diet.

Ducks are partial to frozen peas, sweetcorn, seeds, and even grapes, as long as you cut them into quarters. The message seems to be driving home.

The Canal and River Trust, which cares for 2,000 miles of waterway in England and Wales, says there has been a 20 per cent fall in bread fed to ducks since they started warning of the problems. Peter Birch, national environment manager for the Canal and River Trust, said: 'We're really pleased with the public response to our campaign so far and the way people are changing their duck feeding habits.

'However there's still work to be done and still too much bread is being dumped in the waterways.'

Although the number of people feeding ducks a healthier dinner has doubled, Britons are still throwing 3.5 million loaves into canals, rivers, ponds and lakes every year.

Mr Birch said: 'We need more people to get the word out and encourage everyone to feed the ducks sensibly. 'It only takes a few simple changes such as swapping bread for healthy food that is closer to a duck's natural diet - like oats, corn or peas.

'If everyone avoids going to the same duck-feeding hotspots and exercises portion control that would also make a big difference.' The trust has been backed by the government's Animal and Plant Health Agency, which says that too much bread can cause serious health problems for wildfowl.

The RSPB warns that ducks fill up on white bread, which little nutritional value, do not seek out food that is more beneficial. In extreme cases ducks and other water fowl get an illness known as angel wing, which is caused by not getting the right nutrients in their diet. The illness causes a deformity in birds' wings that can hamper the way they fly.

Uneaten soggy bread can cause a build-up of bad nutrients which can lead to greater algae growth, spread disease and encourage rats.

Throwing bread into a canal or river can also create over-breeding and over-crowding in bird populations, as the birds will flock to the same location in search of their starchy treat.