Appeal for information on pollution near Thirsk

Staff from the Environment Agency are appealing for information about pollution which affected a one-mile stretch of Cod Beck near Thirsk.They say the milky white substance doesn’t appear to have harmed wildlife. However, more than a dozen people alerted the Environment Agency after spotting it on Friday afternoon.Environment Agency team leader Mike Riby said the pollution was clearly visible and would like to hear from anyone who could help him trace where the pollution came from.He said: “An Environment Agency officer investigated as soon as we were alerted and found the pollution stretched from South Kilvington which is upstream of Thirsk,  to Sowerby.“Someone may have dumped the polluting substance into the beck or it may have just been an accidental leak from a nearby tank. Either way, we would like to hear from anyone with information so that we can help prevent a similar incident from happening again.”The substance, which is, as yet, unidentified turned the water a dull white colour and Yorkshire Water said there was no problem with any of its systems. The UK’s rivers are the healthiest they have been for 20 years and many species such as otters are returning. Mike said that on this occasion the pollution didn’t appear to have any long lasting impact but asked people to be alert, particularly as the water downstream of Sowerby is used as drinking water for livestock.Anyone with information can contact Mike through the Environment Agency’s hotline on 0800 80 70 60.


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