Poison Bread Killer strikes again as three dogs have been killed in Sefton

Shockingly it appears at least three dogs have died after being poisoned while walking in Southport. Please remain vigilant and perhaps avoid the area with your dogs in the short term.

Very worried and concerned residents and dog owners have took to social media to warn people of what is going on. The bread is fresh bread but laced with poison that looks like it has actually been spread onto the bread with a very strong smell. poison has also been found on dog treats just left on known dog walking paths.

- Poison bread was left around The Golf on the walking path between Hillside and Royal Birkdale Golf Clubs. - The poison bread has also been found on the Ainsdale Dunes on the Kenilworth Road walk onto the dunes. - Also found on the Ainsdale Sandhills by the train tracks.

- The poison bread has also been found on the recreation ground on Sandbrook Road in Ainsdale.

- Also found on Myrtle Grove at the foot of steps down from Sussex Road.

Sheryl Flint who owns Sparkles Boutique UK said: “There has been reports of two dogs being poisoned by bread laced with poison and sadly one lost its life.”

“I then had a private message about another dog poisoned and again sadly this dog died too. The owners did report this to the police”

“The poison bread has also made its way into a local lake and now there are dead fish too floating.”

This is a dead bird in the lake

“As you can see from the photos, this is fresh bread with something pasted on it and it is pretty strong as it stung my eyes from just looking in the bag!”

Sheryl continued: “After speaking to several people and the vets today, unfortunately you can’t just have the bread tested, sadly it has to be a Post-Mortem. That is the only way they will know by sending tissue from the deceased’s dog which the owner would have to pay for.”

“Please beware now if you see any bread like this. Bag it up very carefully and safely, then wash your hands. The bread has had something spread on it and on one piece it’s liked they wiped the rest of what was left on the edge too, this bread is fresh so no mould. It was so strong it made my eyes water.”

Carla Lane Animals In Need have also issued a warning to dog owners in the Birkdale and Southport areas. They said: “Please be aware there are reports of dogs being poisoned in these areas, most recently near Birkdale Royal.”

“Sadly two innocent dogs have now lost their lives and families left heart broken. Please be extra vigilant around these areas and share with anybody you know that live around these parts.”

“The poisoning has been left in bread. If you come across anything like this then please take a photograph, collect it into a bag and report to the police.”

Other people on Facebook have put out warnings and comments:

Stephen Johnson said:

“WARNING! Don't know if anyone has seen the previous posts regarding piles of bread and dog treats laced with poison being left around dog walking spots in the Southport area. We found some, (pictured below) on the Sandhills in Ainsdale by the train tracks. My brother had to chase my dog to get a piece of it off him before he ate it. We bagged it all up and the police now have it to be tested, but you could clearly see and smell something strong had been spread on it.”

“This isn't an isolated incident, and these piles of bread/dog treats have been spotted all around Southport. Keep your dogs on their leads, or keep a close eye on them when out and about.”

Lynn Rawlinson said: “This won't just kill your dogs it will kill any of the wildlife, birds etc. Especially if it goes into the food chain, like the Buzzards, Kestrals and Foxes. Obviously got mental health issues. we need to find who it is!!! Could be a child next.”

Cathy McGrath said: “Oh my goodness. Might be a coincidence but I walked my dog down railway terrace this evening up to Upper Aughton road and there was a pile of bread slices on the side of the road. Might be nothing but be aware.”

Cathy continued: “I’ve just gone out and scooped it up and threw it away. It was a pile of slices of bread by Railway Terrace towards Upper Aughton Road. I would have just worried otherwise.”

Someone else said: “More bread, on Myrtle Grove at the foot of the steps down from Sussex Rd. I couldn’t move it as I was trying to get my Labrador away. Hopefully it’s not poisoned but why would someone put it there?”

Kirsty Magill said: “My gorgeous girl Cali was poisoned in Croxteth Park two weeks ago and sadly lost her life 💔 it's making me wonder if it could be further afield than just Southport xx”

This isn’t the first time this has happened, there were also very similar incidents back in 2017 in Brighton and also in Lincolnshire in 2019. In both cases, dogs lost their lives.

Please remain vigilant, keep dogs on leads and do not let them eat anything at all when walking outside. If your dog gets sick, take them to a vets immediately. If you find any suspicious looking bread or dog treats, please take a photo of it and of where it is, report it to the police and if possible, bag it up very carefully and wash your hands afterwards.

We are happy to post any other findings of this bread and it’s whereabouts on our site, just email us: info@seftonbubble.com

Thanks for your photos which hopefully will help people identify what they are looking for.