Dog walkers warned after toxic palm oil bergs washed ashore

DOG owners have been put on alert after palm oil bergs washed up on Anglesey's beaches this week.

- By ANDREW FORGRAVE

Chunks of the strange-smelling substance - some looking like giant fossilised eggs - were reported to the Coastguard for possible removal.

It’s possible the solidified palm oil may have washed up during Storm Floris at the start of the week. Since then, deposits have been found at Porth Diana beach in Trearddur Bay and Porth Tywyn Mawr (Sandy Beach) near Llanfwrog. Both are west-facing beaches in the north of the island.

Dogs are attracted to palm oil rocks as they have an irresistibly sickly sweet smell. As it’s an edible vegetable oil used in cosmetics and processed foods, palm oil is not poisonous to dogs - but it can have a laxative effect, causing sickness and diarrhoea. In extreme cases, pancreatitis is possible, according to vets.

A potentially bigger problem are the nasties that oil bergs collect as they bob on the sea. Before they wash up on beaches, they can absorb diesel, chemicals, sewage and harmful bacteria. The Porth Tywyn Mawr chunks were described as “soft and smelling of diesel”.