'Poisonous plant' washing up on shoreline as public urged don't touch

Police Scotland say a poisonous plant has washed up on a Scots shoreline as officers urged people not to touch it.

Police said they had received a report of a poisonous plant known as hemlock root washing up in sporadic points along the shoreline of Loch Gilp in Ardrishaig and Lochgilphead.

Hemlock water dropwort can prove fatal to humans by attacking the nervous system and causing the body to shut down.

The plant is common in coastal areas and smells like parsley.

It comes after the plant, sometimes referred to as “dead man’s fingers”, washed up on beaches near Drigg and Parton in Cumbria earlier this week.

A Police Scotland statement read: “Members of the public are advised not to touch the plant, and to keep animals away from the affected areas.”

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