Thousands of fish have been killed following a sewage leak in a Thames tributary. The incident took place on the River Ray over the weekend after a sewerage pipe burst near Swindon.
The leak affected a three-mile stretch of the river. The Angling Trust, which represents anglers and campaigns for fish conservation in England, has demanded Thames Water provide a “full explanation”.
In a statement, the trust said an initial investigation by the Environment Agency fisheries team suggested that there has been an almost total wipe-out of fish populations and other invertebrates in the bulk of the river. More than 2,000 dead fish were counted in the sampling area, including large chub, pike and barbel, it added.
