Lower Test nature reserve oil pollution response 'inadequate'

Southern Water said it had installed extra bunds to contain the oil

A protected wetland is being flooded with fuel oil while authorities fail to stop it, the site's owner has said.

Lower Test nature reserve, near Southampton, has suffered from "high levels" of pollution over several months, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust said.

It said the response by Southern Water and the Environment Agency had been "inadequate".

The agency said it was aiding the water firm, which had identified the source.

The wildlife trust said the high levels of oil pollution were unacceptable

The trust said the fuel oil, from firms on a nearby industrial estate, was causing "long-lasting damage" to an internationally-significant natural habitat.

It said: "Over the past few months we have repeatedly contacted the relevant authorities, including the Environment Agency and Southern Water... The response so far has been inadequate.

"This is completely unacceptable in one of the country's most significant chalk rivers."

Fishing firm owner Howard Taylor said an interceptor was failing to contain the oil

Howard Taylor, whose fly-fishing company operates on the River Test, said the pollution had killed species including cygnets, fish and rare snails.

He said: "The heavy flows of diesel are so strong you could smell it 100 yards from the riverbank this morning.

"It's horrendous. I'm tearfully emotional because it's the death of a river."

Mr Taylor said an interceptor, designed to contain the oil, was full of silt and not maintained, while emergency bunds laid on the water surface were insufficient for a large spill.

In a statement, the Environment Agency said the water firm had found the potential source of the problem.

It said it would decide on enforcement action once Southern Water, which managed the drainage system, had completed its work with those responsible.

The water firm said it was alerted to the pollution on 15 June.

In a statement, it said it believed there was "only one incident of an oil spill", which was still washing through drains.

The company added: "We are continuing to work hard on the difficult clean-up in the area.

"While we have seen the images posted on social media, we have undertaken regular inspections of the area and have not found any evidence of distress to wildlife."