Are flea-eradication products for dogs killing off wildlife in Cleethorpes country park lake?

Having a splashing good time - but flea treatment on dogs could be noxious to wildlife 

A SEEMINGLY charming and innocent pursuit could be having a hidden, but devastating, impact on wildlife in Cleethorpes.

Scores of dog-owners love nothing more than to watch their pets romping in a specially-designated dog-bathing area in the lake at the country park.

But the coats of many of these animals will have been treated by a powerful  product formulated to eradicate fleas, ticks and other tiny creatures.

Research identifies one product as so powerful that, if used in gardens or on fields, one month's treatment for a dog could kill as many as 10 million bees.

Even if heavily diluted in the waters of in the country park lake, the impact on waterborne insects may be lethal, with knock-on effects on creatures higher up the food chain such as fish and fish-eating ducks and grebes.

One of the most frequently used components in flea treatments is Imidacloprid - a neonicotinoid now banned on crops within the EU  for its adverse impact on bees and butterflies.

Another component of pet flea-killer is Moxidectin - described by flea-killing manufacturers in their own literature as "very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects".

This sign - since removed - used to promote the lake as a bathing place for dogs

                                                   

The message is completely different at the Fitties pool on the edge of RSPB Tetney Marshes