Meetings over canal cyanide spill which killed fish

A 12-mile stretch of the canal was sectioned off following the chemical spillage earlier this month

Two drop-in sessions will allow members of the public to ask questions about a chemical spillage into a West Midlands canal that killed thousands of fish.

About 4,000 litres (879 gallons) of sodium cyanide and other chemicals leaked into the canal in Walsall on 12 August, closing a 12-mile stretch of the waterway.

Representatives from Walsall Council along with the Canal and River Trust will attend the drop-in sessions to update locals on the actions authorities have since taken.

The first will take place at LMRCA Railway Club on Friday 30 August, 13:00 BST – 15:00.

The second is due to be held on Friday 6 September, 16:00-18:00, at St John's Church on Scarborough Road.

The council said its first priority was the safety of residents and canal users.

Although the risk was low, anyone who has had direct physical contact with canal water along the affected stretch of the canal and is feeling unwell, should seek medical advice, they said.

The authority added that pollution levels within the water were reducing, and their attention was now turning to recovering the canal and its wildlife.

The Canal and River Trust said a clean up operation was underway, after it raised more than £20,000 to fund the work.

The source of the spillage, at Anochrome Ltd, has been stopped and an investigation into its cause is being carried out by the Environment Agency.