Hayley Willoughby - 25-Oct-2007
- Officers from the Environment Agency are
investigating a major pollution incident
involving the death of more than 5,000 fish
along a ditch in Yarnton, Oxfordshire.
The incident is the third fish kill Environment
Agency officers have investigated in Oxfordshire
in less than a week. It is urging householders
and businesses to think before disposing
of potentially harmful substances into drains.
The Environment Agency were notified Tuesday
23 October by a member of the public after
spotting dead fish, mostly perch, floating
in the ditch on Sunday. Environment and
fisheries officers are now onsite investigating
the cause of this latest incident.
Environment management team leader Angie
Wills said: “The past seven days has seen
an unprecedented spate of incidents with
up to 6,000 fish including perch, brown
trout, stickleback and bullhead killed across
Oxfordshire.
"While they are not directly linked,
and they may just be an unhappy coincidence,
we want to take the opportunity to remind
people that whatever they put down their
drain could find its way into watercourses
and have very grave consequences for local
fish and wildlife.
“We urge anyone who sees dead fish, fish
in distress or pollution in streams or rivers
to call our emergency hotline on 0800 80
70 60 immediately – even if you think someone
else may have already notified us, please
give us a call.
“This not only helps us respond accordingly
to reduce the impact of any pollution at
the earliest possible opportunity, but it
may also help us gather vital evidence which
may lead to a prosecution.”
The Environment Agency has also attended
two other incidents in Oxfordshire in recent
days. Officers were called to Carterton
on Friday following reports of more than
100 dead fish, including brown trout and
bullheads, in the Shill Brook. And on Sunday
officers attended reports of a chemical
spillage which had killed more than 250
fish in the Ginge Brook at Drayton near
Abingdon. Investigations into all three
incidents are now ongoing.
Members of the public can report pollution
incidents by calling the Environment Agency’s
emergency hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
+ More
Environment Agency investigates second
major fish kill in a week
Dave Ferguson - 22-Oct-2007 - Officers
from the Environment Agency are investigating
a pollution incident involving the death
of more than one hundred fish in the Ginge
Brook in Drayton, Oxfordshire.
The Environment Agency were notified by
a member of the public after they spotted
dead fish floating along the Ginge Brook,
a tributary of the River Thames. The affected
fish included stickleback and trout.
This is the second major fish kill in Oxfordshire
which officers from the Environment Agency
have investigated in the past week. A hundred
fish including brown trout and bullhead
- which are both protected species under
European legislation - were killed in a
separate pollution incident on the Shill
Brook in Carterton last week.
Officers are now investigating the causes
of both incidents, which are not linked.
Senior Environment Officer Steve Wilkes
said: “We are investigating the possible
cause of the latest fish kill in Drayton,
and fisheries and environment officers are
currently on site assessing the full impact
of the incident. The potential source of
the incident has been identified and stopped.
“We believe that some of the chemicals
have entered the Ginge brook. The Health
Protection Agency has been notified. Should
any members of the public have concerns
for their health, they should contact their
local environmental health department.
“Farmers are advised to take a precautionary
response and prevent livestock from drinking
directly from the Ginge Brook or River Thames
between Culham and Appleford for the next
couple of days.
“This is the second significant fish kill
we have seen in Oxfordshire in the past
week, and it highlights just how serious
for fish and wildlife it can be when pollutants
get into local watercourses.
“We would ask anyone who sees dead fish,
fish in distress or pollution in streams
or rivers to call our emergency hotline
on 0800 80 70 60 immediately – even if you
think someone else may have already notified
us, please give us a call.
“Our officers are continuing to assess
conditions along the river, but it will
take some time for us to determine the full
environmental impact.”
Members of the public can report pollution
incidents by calling the Environment Agency’s
emergency hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
