'Significant amount' of palm oil found on beach

A "significant" amount of palm oil has been found washed up on a Newquay beach, the coastguard has said.

Newquay Coastguard said they had found "a sizeable chunk" of the toxic substance at Holywell Bay Beach and more at Perranporth Beach.

The coastguard warned people to keep their pets on leads and to keep them away from the palm oil as it can pose a serious risk to dogs.

If anyone comes across palm oil they are advised by the coastguard not to touch or try to remove it.

The coastguard also asked that people finding palm oil report it to the local authority or the Environment Agency to help make sure it is safely removed.

A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said the vegetable product was used in food and cosmetics and sometimes ships carrying the oil have their storage areas flushed out at sea.

This, they said, resulted in the oil forming solid lumps when it met the cold waters around the UK and later being washed ashore.

In the past six months palm oil has been washed up on beaches in East Sussex and Guernsey.

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