Pollution kills fish in North Hampshire

Drinking water in North Hampshire ISN'T affected by a problem that's killed hundreds of fish there.

That's from the Environment Agency - who're investigating pollution in a 5km stretch of the Silchester Brook.

Heart's being told they received several calls on Wednesday 21st July 2010 from members of the public who had seen pollution, believed to be sewage, entering the Silchester Brook near Silchester, Hampshire. Three environment officers and two fisheries officers are currently at the scene. Among the species of fish which have died are perch and trout.
 
Environment officer Ben Govan said: This is a serious incident which has affected a long stretch of the Silchester Brook.

“Environment officers are currently on site collecting evidence and sampling, and we have staff taking further samples from the river and doing some ecological monitoring.

We would like to thank members of the public for informing us of this incident promptly, and will fully investigate the causes and impact of what has clearly been a serious incident.

The Environment Agency believes it has traced the source of the pollution and will oversee the remediation. The investigation is ongoing and no further details can be released at this stage.

Members of the public can report pollution incidents by calling the Environment Agency’s emergency hotline on 0800 807060.