A stretch of river has been left 'looking like milk' - with experts probing possible pollution. People living nearby said they were "horrified" after noticing the waters had turned a white colour.
The reason for the change to a stretch of the River Irk, along with nearby Wince Brook, is currently unclear. The Environment Agency has confirmed it is investigating.
One man said he was now scared to walk his dogs and children through the Alkrington Woods in Middleton, Greater Manchester, the beauty spot the river runs through. Chris Turner, 58, told the MEN it was the second time in a week the river had changed colour and said last week it 'looked like someone had put a load of Persil Automatic in it.'
Chris, who lives close to Alkrington Woods, discovered the river running white again on Thursday (September 15) shortly before 1:30pm and said it again 'looked like a ton of washing powder has been dumped into it.'
"It's just horrendous," he said. "I'm always walking down there with the dogs and the kids. Lots of dogs go in that part of the river, including ours but luckily today I had her on a lead. Who knows what it is. It could be something benign but it doesn't look benign to me."
"I have a bee in my bonnet about it for three reasons, I walk my dogs and kids here, I keep bees and also I'm a fisherman. We all have joint custodianship of the environment and we need to look after it. And this just looks awful.
"There's lots of people who have been down and seen it today and have just been horrified by it. I think there'll be lots complaining about it. It's a sad state of affairs this keeps happening.
Fellow local resident Lydia Thomas said on Twitter: "Walking my dog at lunch in the woods behind my house and this is the River Irk right now. Some disgusting chemical has been dumped. The water is like milk."
Several others shared pictures and videos of the water and questioned what had happened. A spokesperson for Rochdale Council said they were aware of the issue and that it had been reported to the Environment Agency, who were now looking into it.
The Environment Agency confirmed it had received reports of pollution in the River Irk and that officers were investigating. A spokesperson for the region's water company United Utilities said: “Our drainage experts are helping the Environment Agency to investigate.”
