MANAGERS at Ynyslas Nature Reserve are asking people not to light fireworks at the popular beach, claiming it could prove fatal for wildlife.

The plea comes after Ali Chedgy, assistant reserves manager at Ynyslas Dyfi National Nature Reserve, collected two bags of firework remnants in the car park area of the beach.

“This morning when I arrived at the Dyfi Ynyslas National Nature Reserve, something was not quite right,” Miss Chedgy wrote on the reserve’s Facebook page on Friday, 17 June.

“Everything was still and quiet. The usual chorus of birdlife was absent and the wading flocks were missing from my usual morning beach patrol.

“It was then that I noticed a multitude of small plastic sticks, and burnt out cardboard tubes, the remains of what would have been an exciting night for someone.

“I collected two bags of used and discarded fireworks from the nature reserve beach car park in all, which had been abandoned at some point last night, and early this morning, along with a number of bottles, cans and other general rubbish.”

But Miss Chedgy said it wasn’t just litter she was worried about, but also the danger the fireworks posed.

She added: “If live fireworks come into contact with birds they can cause severe burns and injuries to a bird’s plumage, limbs, eyes and skin, and even if the birds aren’t immediately killed, their abilities to fly, forage effectively and avoid predators can be compromised."

See this week’s south editions for the full story, in shops and online now