Mum told off for feeding ducks white bread

A mum who took her children to feed the ducks was ticked off by a council warden - for not giving them wholemeal bread.

The warden told Lisa Taplin, 34, that her white bread slices were "unhealthy" for the birds, reports The Sun.

Mrs Taplin had taken sons Luke, four, and Dylan, two, to a local pond near her home in Hailsham, East Sussex.

But she was shocked when the official said giving ducks white bread was "like feeding kids chips every day".

"I was a bit stunned. There were loads of ducks around us and they looked quite hungry," she said.

"He said it would be better to bring wholemeal, granary or bird seed. He walked off, leaving me feeling guilty."

Naturalist Chris Packham, who presents BBC's Autumn Watch, said bread was "not the best thing" to feed the ducks.

But he added: "I wouldn't stop anyone from feeding birds. We send out the message that wildlife needs our help all the time so it seems a bit churlish to tell people what food to use."

Nickey Caria, Hailsham's deputy town clerk, said: "We have been advised by an animal rescue centre that the public should be urged not to feed white bread to wild birds as it is bad for them."

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