15/09/2005 - Following the
death of 260 fish in a Yorkshire beck, the
Environment Agency is urging people not to
pour chemicals down drains.
The fish, which included bullheads and trout,
were discovered over a 200 metre stretch of
Jenkin Beck in Ingleton.
It is believed that the deaths were caused
by a toxic substance being poured down a surface
water drain. These drains are designed for
rainwater and therefore discharge directly
or indirectly into rivers and streams. Common
household chemicals including bleach and paint
stripper are possible culprits and the substance
may have been static in the drainage system
during the hot weather then could have been
washed through into the brook during the rainfall.
The Environment Agency took samples of the
water but the test results were inconclusive.
Environment Agency officer Liz Ashman, who
attended the incident, said: "We want
to remind people that chemicals should be
taken to a licensed disposal site and should
not under any circumstances be poured down
surface water drains.
"It is quite possible that whoever poured
the substance down the drain didn’t realise
the effect it would have. Sometimes substances
which are harmless to people can cause problems
for fish and other wildlife."
