Dead fish in river '˜natural'

The Environmment Agency has been contacted by concerned Sleaford residents who have reported seeing up to a dozen dead trout and a handful of dead ducklings on a stretch of the River Slea through town.
Just one of the dead fish seen floating in the River Slea at the weekend. EMN-160509-173324001Just one of the dead fish seen floating in the River Slea at the weekend. EMN-160509-173324001
Just one of the dead fish seen floating in the River Slea at the weekend. EMN-160509-173324001

The weed and litter-choked section of waterway stretching from West Banks to Southgate had been a cause for concern among people on Facebook and local man Simon Robinson reported it to the authorities on Monday after walking by and noticing the corpses.

He told The Standrad: I counted 12 big trout dead, floating on the surface.

“I got hold of the Environment Agency who said they were going to have a look. It didn’t seem to have affected the other wildlife so I’m not sure if it is pollution.”

An Environment Agency spokesman said: “We had some calls and investigated the reports of dead fish.

“We couldn’t find any evidence of pollution in the water and so we think it is natural, caused by low dissolved oxygen in the water due to the warm weather and low flow. But we will monitor the situation.”

Anyone with further concerns about seeing dead fish or water pollution should call the agency on 0800 807060.

The Environment Agency will also consider sending in staff to clear out some of the heavy weed which is contributing to holding up the flow in that section of the river.