Further concerns raised over pollution in the River Test
WATCH: ITV News Meridian's John Willats reports.
Further concerns have been raised over the level of pollution in the River Test, with famous faces getting behind a campaign to clean it up.
After heavy rainfall earlier this month it's believed diesel fuel leaked into the river from a nearby industrial estate.
The River Test is a site of Special Scientific Interest and is home to many creatures that rely on its unique waters.
Actor James Murray visited the site of the spill, saying it smelt like a petrol station.
He is not the only famous face to raise concerns about the incident, with fellow actor Paul Whitehouse highlighting how unique and rare chalk streams are. He says it's disappointing we are destroying them.
Concerns have also been raised about the condition of salmon, which would usually migrate up river at this time of year.
So far there have been virtually no salmon travelling up the river, which could be related to the diesel spill.
With further rain forecast, some are worried the issue will only get worse. The damage caused could have an impact for years, meaning this problem cannot be solved overnight.
Southern Water, which is not responsible for the diesel spill, says it is doing it it can to assist with the cleanup.
A spokesperson said:
We continue to assist with this pollution event and to work extremely hard in an area of the River Test to contain oil spilled by a third party from the nearby Industrial estate. Our priority is to continue to mitigate against the environmental impact this third party pollution may have.
We have had our own ecologists onsite supporting these efforts and are working closely with both the Environment Agency and Natural England. The third party company who reported the spill to the Environment Agency in mid-June, is also undertaking clean-up and mitigation action.
While the original source of the oil spill has now been stopped by the business owner, oil which has seeped into the ground can continue to enter the river. Reeds in the river are also harbouring oil and we have sought expert advice on cleaning.
Our priority remains preventing as much oil as possible from being washed further down the river. Since the incident started we have greatly increased the number of absorbent booms to block the oil’s path. We also have tankers sucking away the oil and taking it to a temporary processing plant set up in the area.