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Dog owners in Wexford warned of danger of 'Fatbergs' on local beaches

Dog owners in Wexford warned of danger of 'Fatbergs' on local beaches

Wexford county council has issued a warning to dog owners.

Harmful materials such as solidified Palm Oil  or the slang term 'Fatbergs' have recently been found at the Raven in Curracloe.

The council has confirmed a quantity of the substance has recently been found at this location

It's believed that the Palm Oil may have part of a consignment which came off a ship in the English Channel about 18 months ago.

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Hugh Maguire is Administrative Officer in the Council's Environment Department.

The deposits washed up on the beach look similar in appearance to styrofoam.

Speaking to Beat News Mr Maguire said it's up to dog owners to keep their dogs on a leash and keep them from ingesting these substances.

"We're advising dog owners to take due diligence and extra care when they're on the beach or perhaps to maybe walk your dog elsewhere for the present time until the situation improves.

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Now some of it has washed up on Wexford beaches and we're monitoring the situation.

There has been reports around the Raven in Curraclor and Cahore and a number of other locations so we're monitoring the situation and liaising with other agencies such as the National Parks and Wildlife in relation to the matter and as to what course of action will be taken in relation to this material."

Mr Maguire added, " Palm Oil as such isn't toxic to dogs but it's the nature of this particular material, there's other material combined with Palm Oil and I suppose it's the nature of it, it's a sticky, greasy type of substance and it seems to get stuck in dogs digestive system and can make them quite ill.

We're aware of one case in Wexford town and it has happened in other parts of the country and it has been noted also in the UK.

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I think dog owners would do well to err on the side of caution with this."

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