Farm suspected of river pollution that killed fish

The pollution this summer follows a similar incident in October 2023 (pictured) which left hundreds of fish dead

A farm is suspected as being the main source of pollution, thought to be slurry, in a river where a number of fish died this summer, bosses at the Environment Agency (EA) say.

Environment minister Emma Hardy wrote to Crewe and Nantwich MP Connor Naismith following the incident on the River Weaver in the Nantwich area.

At about 13:30 BST on 21 August, a member of the public alerted the agency to fish in distress, she said in the letter.

The minister added the EA "is confident that it has identified the principal source of the pollution of the most recent fish death, and a full investigation is under way".

An EA spokesperson confirmed it had identified a farm as a suspected source and was "investigating any link to a subsequent significant fish kill".

Reoxygenation of the water by officers over the August bank holiday weekend had reduced the number of fish deaths, they said.

Hardy wrote: "EA officers were deployed over multiple days, working long hours to gather evidence, monitor water quality, and mitigate harm to the river and its wildlife."

"This sustained effort ensured the situation was managed effectively and environmental damage was minimised."

Since the incident in October 2023, the Environment Agency says it has carried out 186 inspections across 146 farms in the Upper Weaver catchment

The minister added that, following another incident in October 2023 in which hundreds of fish died, the EA had carried out 186 inspections across 146 farms in the Upper Weaver catchment.

She explained this work had led to 194 environmental improvements, the issuing of nine compliance notices and 77 formal warnings, as well as a number of ongoing cases.

There were also a number of reports from the public in July this year relating to pollution and fish in distress, Hardy said.

She described how the EA had carried out a number of visits since and identified some issues, but none were deemed significant enough to cause immediate concerns.

No single source was identified for the July pollution, Hardy continued, but the issues would have contributed to poor water quality.