Urgent warning issued after increase in animals swallowing lethal fishing litter

The RSPCA has issued an urgent warning to new and inexperienced anglers after a surge in cases of animals injured by 'fishing litter' like old line, weights and barbed hooks.

The charity said the number of calls last year reporting incidents almost doubled over the summer, rocketing by 97 per cent. There were 186 reports made in July, compared to 94 in January.

The RSPCA said it received 1,245 calls about fishing tackle across England and Wales throughout 2022, with around half of all calls made between June and September.

Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features.

Greater Manchester was named as a hot-spot area by the charity, with 71 calls received. In April, a young swan was left with a 'permanent hole' after a fishing hook with a ball weight attached went through the bird's beak and pierced its tongue. The swan was spotted on the top lake at Myrtle Road in Middleton.

The charity said it was treated and later released, but was left permanently scarred'.

Also in April a pigeon was left hanging from a tree by old fishing line over a lake at a popular Greater Manchester park. Meanwhile in Cheshire, a hedgehog sadly could not be saved after swallowing a fishing hook and line in Nantwich last October.

It was trapped about 30 feet up overhanging the reservoir in Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport, and had to be cut free by a firefighter.

As National Fishing Month gets underway, the RSPCA said it suspects that after schools break up, more people will take up outdoor activities like fishing for the first time.

RSPCA senior scientific officer Evie Button said: "This seasonal, summer leap in the number of calls about wild animals injured by fishing litter is a real