DOG walkers have been issued a warning after an oily substance that could harm their pets washed up on beaches in the New Forest.

Lepe Country Park said that it believed the substance was palm oil, which can be toxic to dogs and other animals.

New Forest District Council says it has had reports of the waxy mineral oil type substance, including at Lepe Country Park.

Council coastal teams have checked on beaches and removed around four black sacks worth of the material.

The council said: “If you are dog walking on the coast, the advice is to keep dogs on leads as it could be harmful to them if ingested.”

Lepe Country Park says it first got reports of the substance washed up on Thursday, which was suspected to be palm oil.

Investigations are continuing to find out what the white waxy substance is, but it says the beach remains open.

It is advising dog owners to keep dogs on a lead and if they see any of the substance report it to a ranger so they can dispose of it.

Rangers there are continuing to monitor the situation.

There have been multiple reports of oil washed up on Milford and Lepe beaches yesterday, according to the New Forest Dog Owners Group.

Anyone that spots anything is asked to email customer.services@nfdc.gov.uk.