Why this park has a duck vending machine

It's a contactless vending machine - no need for BILLS...... get it?!

Do you and your family enjoy spending time outside amongst wildlife?

Perhaps you like going to feed the ducks at the weekend, but did you know that what you feed them could affect their health?

This is why a local council has installed a solar-powered vending machine at Burrs Country Park in Bury, Greater Manchester, selling duck-friendly food.

Volunteers at the park are hoping this will encourage people to feed them the right things, reminding members of the public that bread can be bad for ducks' health and the quality of their water.

A duck's natural diet includes aquatic plants, small fish, seeds, grains, worms and other insects.

But alternatives such as barley, oats, peas and chopped lettuce are also thought to be good for their stomach health.

Nothing like a quack snack!

Visitors can use the machine to buy portions of duck-healthy snacks, and clear signs alert people to the issues of feeding the ducks bread.

It is all part of the national Feed The Ducks Initiative, which has been working with local authorities across the country to install the vending machines in a push to reduce bread feeding.

Bury councillor Alan Quinn said the council was "delighted" to support the scheme, adding: "Don't let it be said that we duck the big decisions."

"Everyone likes to feed the ducks and this initiative will help ensure that the birds are getting a healthy diet," he said.