Dog owners warned after rat poison found in Parkhurst Forest

Dog owners have been warned to be careful walking their pets in Parkhurst Forest after Police have said they are increasing patrols in the area.

Several reports have been confirmed of dogs falling ill after ingesting a substance in the forest since February and this has followed other incidents in recent years.

A Police spokesman said: “Following these most recent reports, neighbourhood officers have continued proactive patrols through Parkhurst Forest, and have collected samples of a substance that is reported to be linked to these occurrences.

“Through our enquiries, we are confident that the substance is rat poison which has been deposited sporadically throughout the Forest.

Typically, dog walkers have reported encountering this substance when walking their pets from the Marks Corner end of the Forest, but this substance could be laid anywhere.

“Officers have been making follow-up enquiries with local stockists of rat poison and have been liaising with the Forestry Commission.”

Sergeant Mark Radford added: “These incidents continue to cause concern to people who use the Forest, but most important of all is the harm this is causing to people’s beloved pets.This is simply unacceptable, and our officers are patrolling the area and following up any available lines of enquiry. If you use the Forest, please be alert and mindful of your surroundings to help keep yourself, your pet and others safe.

“Parkhurst Forest is a vast area, and of course is very limited in terms of CCTV coverage. The deposition of this poison has also been sporadic, so it is crucial that members of the public report anything they see or find to police.

“Have you witnessed anyone acting suspiciously in the Forest? Do you cycle and use a helmet camera, for example, that may have captured something? Have you found any suspected poison in the Forest? Please give us as much detail as you can regarding exactly where and when, and any descriptions of suspicious people you have observed in the area.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting 44260130015. You can also submit information to them on-line at iw.observer/existing-case.

Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their anonymous on-line form at iw.observer/crimestoppers.