Don’t leave Halloween pumpkins in woodlands, people warned

Published

2 years ago

October 31, 2022

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People are being urged to avoid leaving pumpkins in woodlands this Halloween as it can be “dangerous” for wildlife and make animals “very poorly”.

The Woodland Trust and Forestry England warned revellers the fruit can lead to a series of problems for creatures – including hedgehogs, foxes, badgers and birds – and spread disease.

Experts said they have noticed a “worrying trend” in recent years of pumpkins being left in the countryside in a “well-meaning but misguided attempt” to provide food for birds and other wildlife.

But they added it is “really detrimental” and said it can lead to hedgehogs becoming “dangerously dehydrated” because the pumpkins can cause them to have “stomach upsets and diarrhoea”.

Forestry England said around eight million pumpkins could be “part of this year’s fun” – but warned people to ignore tips and online information which tells them the fruit helps wildlife.

Kate Wollen, assistant ecologist at Forestry England, said: “We see many posts on social media encouraging people to leave pumpkins in the woods for wildlife to eat, but please do not do this.

“Pumpkins are not natural to the woodland and while some wildlife may enjoy a tasty snack it can make others, such as hedgehogs, very poorly.

“Feeding pumpkins, or any other food in the forest, to birds, foxes, badgers, deer, and boar can make them unwell and can spread disease.

“Pumpkins are also often decorated and have things such as candles in them. Animals eating the pumpkins could then eat a foreign object and this could kill them.”

Paul Bunton, the engagement and communication officer at the Woodland Trust, said: “A myth seems to have built up that leaving pumpkins in woods helps wildlife.

“People think they’re doing a good thing by not binning them in landfill and instead leaving them for nature.

“But pumpkin flesh can be dangerous for hedgehogs, attracts colonies of rats and also has a really detrimental effect on woodland soils, plants and fungi.”

Instead, people are being urged to turn their pumpkin into soup or even into a birdfeeder – or add to the garden compost.

‘Fleshy fibrous fruit can cause stomach upsets’

Trevor Weeks from East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service said hedgehogs spend autumn and early winter building up their “fat reserves for hibernation”.

He added: “As a result, hedgehogs can gorge themselves on easily available food like dumped pumpkins.

“Although not toxic to them the fleshy fibrous fruit can cause stomach upsets and diarrhoea as they are not designed to eat large quantities of fruit.

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“This can lead to them becoming bloated and dangerously dehydrated which in turn can be fatal.

“At this time of year, they can’t afford to become ill, or they may not survive the winter hibernation.”

Forestry England said leftover pumpkins can be donated to some zoos, animal shelters, farms and community gardens.

UK

Two-phase public inquiry into Southport murders formally launched

Published

3 hours ago

April 7, 2025

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Two-phase public inquiry into Southport murders formally launched

A two-phase statutory public inquiry into the Southport murders has been formally launched.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the first phase would look at the circumstances around Axel Rudakubana’s attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class last summer.

It will focus on issues around policing, the criminal justice system and the multiple agencies involved with the attacker who killed three girls – seven-year-old Elsie Stancombe, six-year-old Bebe King and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine.

It follows the revelation Rudakubana had been referred to the government’s Prevent scheme on three occasions, with the cases being closed each time.

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UK

Police officer in van that followed teens before Cardiff e-bike crash won’t face charges

Published

4 hours ago

April 7, 2025

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Police officer in van that followed teens before Cardiff e-bike crash won't face charges

A police officer who was driving a van that followed two teenagers shortly before they died in an e-bike crash will not be prosecuted.

The deaths of Harvey Evans, 15, and Kyrees Sullivan, 16, sparked riots in the Ely area of Cardiff in May 2023.

The officer was facing a dangerous driving allegation but prosecutors decided there was not enough evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.

A Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) statement said: “We fully understand that this will be disappointing news for the families of both boys and will offer a meeting with them to explain our reasoning further.”

Rumours on social media that the teenagers were being pursued by police were initially denied.

South Wales Police said none of its vehicles were in Snowden Road at the time of the crash.

But police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) later confirmed it was investigating after video appeared to show them being followed by a van – without blue lights or a siren – minutes before the incident.

Other footage, however, showed the van turn off and it wasn’t following the boys at the time of the collision.

A key factor under consideration was whether there was any point at which the actions of the officers in the van “constituted a pursuit”.

The driver and passenger of the marked police van were previously issued with gross misconduct notices.

A second investigation was also opened by the IOPC into issues including police management of the crash scene and treatment of the families.

A riot of several hours broke out after the boys’ deaths, with cars set alight and fireworks and other missiles thrown at police.

Eleven officers needed hospital treatment and 31 people were eventually charged.

The decision not to charge the police officer driving the van can be challenged under the victims’ right of review scheme.

UK

Keiron Charles: Teenagers charged with murder after boy, 17, stabbed to death

Published

5 hours ago

April 7, 2025

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Keiron Charles: Teenagers charged with murder after boy, 17, stabbed to death

Two teenagers have been charged with murder after a 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in west London on Saturday, police have said.

The suspects have not been named because they are both 16, the Metropolitan Police said.

Keiron Charles, 17, from East Acton, died in Erconwald Street, Shepherd’s Bush, after police were called at 1.10pm on Saturday.

Met officers and London Ambulance Service crews attended the scene near the junction with Du Cane Road and Old Oak Common Lane.

Paramedics tried to save the teenager, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detective Chief Inspector Alex Gammampila, who is leading the investigation, called it “an awful incident in which a teenager has lost his life”.

“The thoughts of everyone in the Met remain with Keiron’s family and loved ones as they begin to come to terms with their tragic loss,” the officer added.

The suspects are due to appear at Highbury Corner Youth Court on Monday.