Stream's stench due to 'wrongly connected pipe'

Resident Malcolm Burn said his dog would usually drink from the stream in Northumberland

A stream was left "foul" and "stinking" after a sewage pipe at a housing development was "wrongly" connected to a surface water pipe, it has been claimed.

Suspected pollution was reported at Springwell letch in Ellington, Northumberland, in late April, with resident Malcolm Burn describing the body of water as having turned "grey and slimy" and smelling of "effluent".

The Environment Agency (EA) said its officers attended with Northumbrian Water and identified the source, which the water firm believed had been "caused by a misconnection" at a nearby housing development. The discharge has since been stopped.

Ascent Homes, which manages Wayside Point, has been contacted for comment.

Mr Burn, 62, said the stench from the water on 25 April was "horrible".

"It's nice to pass by on a warm day to allow my dog to get a drink, but obviously we're not going to do that anymore," Mr Burn said.

"I'm very angry, it flows directly into the River Lyne. Who's going to put it right? Who's accountable?"

Springwell letch had become "grey and slimy", Mr Burn said

A Northumbrian Water spokesperson said it was "not at fault".

"We believe this issue to have been caused by a misconnection from a nearby third party, wrongly plumbing a foul sewer into a surface water sewer pipe," they said.

It said it was the "responsibility of the third party to resolve", but it had installed mitigation measures, such as sandbags and bales of straw, at the outlet of the pipe to "prevent any further damage to the environment".

Mr Burn said he had revisited the letch and said the water looked clearer after a night of heavy rain, but the "foul" stink remained.

There was not expected to be any long-term significant impact on the steam, according to the EA.

It added that because it was an ongoing investigation, it could not comment any further.