Pollution devastates River Trent

Dead fish in the River Trent

The Environment Agency has said that a chemical leak that occurred last week, which saw cyanide-contaminated waste flushed into the River Trent in the UK, has devastated the river wiping out fish stocks.

The leak has affected a stretch of the river between Stoke-on-Trent and Yoxall and is believed to have killed thousands of fish. A survey along a 700 metre section of the river has apparently found no evidence of living fish, despite stocks down river seeming to be relatively unaffected.

Upon news of the leak, environmental officers fought to contain it, pumping oxygen into the river to reduce the levels of pollution in the water.

Severn Trent Water said the poison had been released into sewers nears the company's Strongford sewage works in Stoke. It was then traced back to Red Industries Ltd, of Stoke-on-Trent who have been accused on putting industrial waste into the sewage system and served with a Suspension Notice, preventing it from discharging any form of waste into the water system until further notice.

It has been reported that the leak also caused problems for Severn Waters plant in Stoke due to the high levels of cyanide. The cyanide killed the bacteria used in the sewage treatment process at the Strongford Sewage Treatment Works in Stoke-on-Trent, with the result that partially-treated effluent was discharged into the river.

This contained 'one part in a million' of cyanide and as the cyanide has cleared it has become clear that over several thousand fish were killed including pike, bullheads, perch, dace, barbel, chub, minnows and stickleback. The Environment Agency website states, "There were over a thousand dead bullheads alone.

The plant serves over 300,000 homes and businesses in Stoke and as such had to be checked to ensure its customers were placed at risk.

The incident must be a major slap in the face for the EA who, only last year, led an operation to restock the river introducing nearly 40,000 fish into the water.

Under the Water Resources Act, it is an offence to allow poisonous or polluting matter to enter rivers and as such, there is no limit on the fine that a court can impose upon conviction.

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