A HORTICULTURAL group has welcomed the news that deadly slug pellets are being banned.

The slug pellets, which are being banned as of April 1 2022, contain a deadly chemical known as metaldehyde, which is known to kill slugs, but also any other animal that eats the pellets, or the slugs that have eaten the pellets.

These include hedgehogs, frogs, and some birds, and it is hoped that as they will not be available to purchase anymore, further unnecessary death can be prevented.

A spokesperson from Irthington in Bloom, which is part of Britain in Bloom, a Royal Horticultural Society organisation that recognises and awards efforts in gardening and sustainability, said the news is positive.

The spokesperson said: "It's terrible to have these in the gardens as there are other and far better ways to keep control of pests.

"They will be sitting in people's gardens and their sheds, and there is a safe way to dispose of them.

"Slugs are sometimes good, they eat rotting materials in the garden, there are only about four types of slugs that eat shoots, and there are things that you can do to prevent the harm, like getting rid of this very nasty ingredient.

"There's another ingredient in slug pellets called ferric phosphate, which is not as awful to wildlife and things around it; these companies are using this ingredient that's not as harmful, and new slug pellets will not include the harmful ingredient metaldehyde."

Irthington in Bloom are keen to discuss this as their theme for this year's Irthington in Bloom entry to Britain in Bloom is called 'Nature's Friends', with wildlife protection and sustainability being a central concept.

Richard Dixon, a retired vet and secretary of the North Cumbria RSPB Group, said that he's seen evidence of metaldehyde killing dogs and cats too.

He explained: "It's very palatable, and if it's applied or even in a shed or something, they will eat it.

"It causes fits but tremors and neurological problems as well, really a whole load of symptoms, and ultimately death.

"There is no antidote to it, it really is a pretty horrific product."

Cumbria County Council said these pellets can safely be disposed of at their Household Waste Recycling Centre at Boustead Grassing.

Their recommendation is to seal up any slug pellets containing metaldehyde in a plastic container, label it and take and hand it over to them.

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