Environment Agency investigating oil spill on Calne river in Wiltshire

The Environment Agency is investigating the source of an oil spill on the river in Calne.

The spill is now being contained after the issue was reported to the town council on 1 February. They immediately contacted the Environment Agency.

It happened on Abberd Brook which leads into the River Marden, but the cause of the spill is still unknown.

The Calne based environmental group, River warriors, was angered by the pollution and posted on their Facebook page: “This is criminal, if you put motor oil down the street drains you are polluting our brooks and rivers and killing all that lives in it!

"All street drains lead to our brooks and rivers and eventually the sea! Stop putting things down the drains!”

Leader of River Warriors, Tamzyn Long said: “The Environment Agency have got a tonne of people down there. It’s terrible what’s happened.

“Underneath one of the bridges along the Abberd Brook there’s an outlet for all the street drains.

“Something’s gone down the drain and the Environment Agency are going to track it so within the next few days hopefully they’ll know where the source is.

“All drains lead to brooks and rivers and eventually go to the sea so it’s not great.

“There’s actually a big tanker there now that’s sucking up all the oil from the surface.

“We were chatting to them and they’re going to be here for a few more days. There’s quite a bit more work involved.”

She added: “We have quite an abundance of ducks on the Abberd and there’s a pond as well that they like. We haven’t found any casualties so hopefully that’s alright.

“The oil stays at the surface so hopefully fish underneath will be ok but obviously it’s not great at all, you can actually smell the oil, there’s quite a lot.

“It’s very upsetting, a lot of people in the town are upset. A lot of people use that walkway and wonder along the brook. And as volunteers we’re out every two weeks trying to make it as nice as we can so it’s a real shame.”

“We have not seen it on this scale before, but we have seen oil going into the brook in the past. I’m just glad the Environment Agency got straight on it.”

The Environment Agency said: “We have found no evidence of fish in distress and are working to identify the source of the oil and clean up the pollution.”

Credit: Local Democracy Reporter Service/Jude Holden