"The swans were covered in black oil"

Crowds gathered at the riverbank in Higginson Park on Saturday to watch as members of the Eton-based Swan Lifeline gathered up the stricken birds in their boat. The alarm was raised earlier that day when Swan Lifeline volunteer David Hattersley was contacted by a member of the public. “We took about 15 swans out of the river and they were covered in black oil but there was no slick on the water by that time,” he said. “The birds were very black all around their sides and round their necks. If they preen themselves while they are covered in oil they can be poisoned.” That is the fear for three stricken swans who were seen on Sunday but are now missing despite a search of the area on Monday. “We are concerned for their safety,” admitted Mr Hattersley. Meanwhile the 14 birds rescued on Saturday are on the road to recovery thanks to a weekend cleaning operation. Wendy Herman, Swan Lifeline"s treatment centre coordinator, said: “We know it"s some kind of engine oil. The swans are fine now but it took a long time to clean them. It took about four hours with five of us working in a little production line.” “We have never had this amount of birds affected from Marlow before.” Swan Lifeline can be contacted on 01753 859397.