MP alarmed by results after river testing

Peter Prinsley MP said he wanted people to report any signs of water pollution

An MP said he feared a river could be toxic to fish after carrying out water quality testing himself.

Labour's Peter Prinsley, who represents Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, says he carried out tests on the River Lark - finding dangerous levels of ammonia.

Prinsley said: "This kind (of pollution) is often linked to agricultural runoff or sewage discharge."

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said it was involved in several projects to improve the Lark.

The testing revealed ammonia within the river was as high as 3.57 milligrams per litre – above the government's maximum 2.5 milligrams per litre threshold for bad water quality, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Prinsley's testing comes against the backdrop of the government's announcement of a new watchdog for water companies, replacing Ofwat.

The MP said: "Clean, safe rivers are a vital part of the environment here in Bury St Edmunds, not something we can take for granted.

"Those caught polluting our rivers will be held to account."

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: "E. coli, which can contain ammonia, occurs naturally, entering rivers from a number of sources, including bad weather, birds, dogs, cattle, run-off from the land, and storm overflows.

"Where other factors may have an effect on the quality of rivers, such as businesses taking water from them, known as abstraction, the Environment Agency operates a licensing system with conditions."