Beach alert as toxic palm oil is spotted

Wyre Council said had received reports the oil had washed up on the sand close to the pier, and said officers would remove it 'as soon as possible'.

It added: "We advise to keep dogs on leads when on the beach and children are supervised at all times."

Officials initially suspected the oil, described as 'fatty, oil, greasy with a rancid aroma and bright in colour', may have been dislodged from a shipwreck 16 miles south west of Holyhead during stormy weather. But they are now considering whether it came a ship washing out its tank in the Atlantic ocean, one person involved in the clean-up operation said.It can prove fatal if eaten, and is attractive to dogs.