Cause of 'hundreds' of dead fish still unknown

The dead fish were spotted in February in the Park Burn in Prudhoe

An investigation by the Environment Agency (EA) has not discovered the reason behind the deaths of "hundreds" of fish found in a river.

The dead fish were spotted in the Park Burn at Prudhoe, Northumberland, in February.

Northumbrian Water attended the scene and staff from the EA launched an inquiry, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

While the EA said the water samples did "not show any signs of pollution", they said any pollution that might have been there may have "passed through" by the time they received the report.

Tests by Northumbrian Water showed no pollution came from any of their sites, but there was "discolouration" of river water from a "culverted water source".

Concluding their inquiry three months after the incident, the EA were "not able to establish a source" for the possible pollution but they did visit sites in the local area.

They offered advice to residents with the hope that it would "benefit the local environment by preventing future incidents".

The EA said "timely reports with detailed information" were essential for effective investigations.

Councillor for Prudhoe South, Gordon Stewart, also called on residents to be vigilant.

He added: "Incidents should be taken seriously and reported as a matter of urgency."