Dozens of fish dead after Lancaster Canal slurry spillage

The spillage happened in a field alongside the Lancaster Canal near Garstang

More than 100 fish have died after an unknown substance was spilt into a canal, a charity has said.

A field spillage near Garstang polluted the Lancaster Canal on Friday and was "further exacerbated" by heavy rain on Sunday, the Canal & River Trust said.

The trust said it was installing several pumps to aerate the water in the canal and improve oxygen levels.

The Environment Agency said it was working with the trust "to investigate the source of the pollution".

The incident happened at the Bridge House Marina and Caravan Park.

The trust said its on-call team was first alerted to a problem with pollution on Friday evening.

"They checked the canal and discovered a small number of dead fish floating on the surface of the water," it said.

The trust added: "There appears to be an issue with slurry in the water which has reduced oxygen levels, causing some fish to struggle to breathe."

Becki Anderson from the trust added: "Heavy rainfall on Sunday has further exacerbated the problem.

"We care for the waterways and don't want to see fish in distress."

She added: "It is a potential incident of slurry or fertiliser getting into the water."

Graham Dodd, the director of the marina and caravan park, told BBC North West Tonight the sight of the fish suffering and the smell of the dead fish was "horrible".

He said people staying there have been "disturbed by seeing fish like this" with one man leaving the site because he could not bear it.

The Environment Agency said it was looking into the cause of the spillage but could not comment further "as investigations are ongoing".