Sewage Pollution Killing Fish in River Wey Tributary

It is thought that sewage is causing the death of fish in a tributary of the River Wey in Chiddingfold, Surrey.

According to Get Surrey, the Environment Agency has confirmed the presence of a pollutant, which is thought to be sewage. It is unknown how the effluent leaked into the river but it is thought that around 100 fish, including trout and eels, have been killed as a result.

Mr Ken Martin, a local business owner, was the first to notice something was wrong with the water. The 64-year-old Chingford resident saw dead fish and mink in the tributary on Saturday June 21st and then reported the problem to the Environment Agency.

Mr Martin, who regularly feeds the fish, told Get Surrey that the fish were jumping out of the water and reported having a headache after spending time next to the river, which had a "funny smell", according to the local resident.

He said: "I came in on Monday morning [June 23rd] and I thought 'what's that floating in the water?'.

"I'm concerned about seeing the fish because there are kids that play in the water. Kids swim in it further up."

He called the event a "tragedy" and said it was a "crying shame" that this had happened to the fish in the tributary of the River Wey.

Although, according to Mr Martin, somebody else did complain, the Environment Agency only went to the scene after his phone call.

A spokesperson said: "The Environment Agency has been responding to a pollution incident at North End Farm near Chiddingfold in Surrey since Friday June 27th.

"The pollutant, believed to be sewage, has entered a nearby watercourse and around 100 fish, including some trout and eels, have died as a result.

"Our environment officers have been busy assessing the impact to the area and actions are being taken on site to limit the risk of further harm to the local environment. Investigations into how the spill occurred are ongoing."