I
Ian Cloke
Guest
Anglers offer ?1,000 to hook fish killers
CONSERVATIONISTS are offering a ?1,000 reward to catch the culprits who polluted the River Ribble, killing thousands of fish.
The waste was dumped into storm drains which flowed into Swanside Beck, Sawley, on July 27. The beck feeds the Ribble.
Emergency officers from the Environment Agency were able to build a small dam to contain the pollution, but further dumping the next night saw the dam breached and thousands of fish die.
continued...
The pollution was branded a "catastrophe" by fishing chiefs, and has seen the Environment Agency mount a major clean-up operation.
Today, with the culprits still to be found, the Anglers' Conservation Association (ACA) - an environmental organisation fighting to protect rivers - is offering a ?1,000 reward to catch the polluters.
Anyone with information can call the ACA on 01568 620 447, or email justin@a-c-a.org
A spokesman for the group said: "The polluters have not yet been found, but it is hoped that the reward put forward by the ACA will encourage those people who care about their local environment to come forward with any information, which may lead to a prosecution, or a successful civil claim, against those involved."
The pollutant - believed to be oil residue from bio-fuel manufacture or refining - affected a four-mile stretch of the river, between Sawley and Brungerley Bridge, and wiped out hundreds of sea trout and salmon, as well as hundreds of smaller fish. It is also feared the pollutant caused major damage to the river's ecosystem.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency has warned people not to enter the affected stretch of water, and said its clean-up operation was ongoing.
He said: "While we cannot make any comment on the reward offered by the anglers' group, we would like to reiterate our hotline number of 0800 807060 and ask anyone with information to contact us as we are treating the matter very seriously."
Anyone with information can call the ACA on 01568 620 447, or email justin@a-c-a.org
CONSERVATIONISTS are offering a ?1,000 reward to catch the culprits who polluted the River Ribble, killing thousands of fish.
The waste was dumped into storm drains which flowed into Swanside Beck, Sawley, on July 27. The beck feeds the Ribble.
Emergency officers from the Environment Agency were able to build a small dam to contain the pollution, but further dumping the next night saw the dam breached and thousands of fish die.
continued...
The pollution was branded a "catastrophe" by fishing chiefs, and has seen the Environment Agency mount a major clean-up operation.
Today, with the culprits still to be found, the Anglers' Conservation Association (ACA) - an environmental organisation fighting to protect rivers - is offering a ?1,000 reward to catch the polluters.
Anyone with information can call the ACA on 01568 620 447, or email justin@a-c-a.org
A spokesman for the group said: "The polluters have not yet been found, but it is hoped that the reward put forward by the ACA will encourage those people who care about their local environment to come forward with any information, which may lead to a prosecution, or a successful civil claim, against those involved."
The pollutant - believed to be oil residue from bio-fuel manufacture or refining - affected a four-mile stretch of the river, between Sawley and Brungerley Bridge, and wiped out hundreds of sea trout and salmon, as well as hundreds of smaller fish. It is also feared the pollutant caused major damage to the river's ecosystem.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency has warned people not to enter the affected stretch of water, and said its clean-up operation was ongoing.
He said: "While we cannot make any comment on the reward offered by the anglers' group, we would like to reiterate our hotline number of 0800 807060 and ask anyone with information to contact us as we are treating the matter very seriously."
Anyone with information can call the ACA on 01568 620 447, or email justin@a-c-a.org