A bird charity says it has had to treat a number of ducks due to a mystery pollution incident at a housing estate pond.

Manx Wild Bird Aid says it has been treating three ducks after they were found covered in a substance thought to be cooking oil with more reports coming in.

The birds were admitted to the charity’s care on December 30 after they were found in difficulty at the duck pond at the Governor’s Hill housing estate in Douglas.

Posting online, the charity said: ‘If looks could kill we’d be out of volunteers thanks to the mallard we’ve called Donald, admitted from Governors Hill on December 30.

‘We share his pain though as Donald’s New Year has been spent with us trying to wash the cooking type oil off his feathers. There are more spa days on the horizon for Donald. Then we have to get him waterproof again.’

The charity admits it is not sure where the cooking oil has come from but it has urged people to take care when pouring items down the drain.

It said: ‘Where the oil came from is still a mystery as there doesn’t appear to be any in the pond now. However it’s possible the oily substance was disposed of down a street (stormwater) drain which then emptied into the pond and contaminated several of the much loved resident ducks.

‘It will take many hours to get the three ducks back into a releasable condition. On top of that we are still receiving reports that more ducks appear to be oiled.

‘Regardless of how this all came about, it’s a reminder that a small act can have big consequences for our wildlife and environment.’