Thousands more fish found dead

THE chemical spill which poisoned thousands of fish in the Rochdale Canal has been declared a major pollution incident.

Numbers of dead fish increased almost four times last week, from 4,000 to more than 15,000 and could still rise, according to the Environment Agency.

The canal is a site of special scientific interest with rare grasses, sponges and crayfish in its environs. Water plants have also been poisoned.

A Marine and Fisheries Agency officer, Graham Harrison, said: “This is a huge increase, but we do believe that all the fish have been killed as a result of the same pollution incident that occurred on Saturday, July 19.

“The fish have been lying on the bed of the canal and are now rising to the surface.”

Fisheries staff are on site with representatives from British Waterways, who are clearing the fish. Environment Agency scientists have taken water samples from part of the canal stretching more than 11/2 miles from Broadgate Business Park, near the Boat and Horses, Chadderton, to Failsworth.

Results could be known early this week.

The fish were first spotted by dog walker John Carter, of Sycamore Avenue, Chadderton, and when the numbers increased, the following day, he called in the agency.

He said: “They are still floating and rotting and it’s starting to smell. I am shocked by how many fish have died.

“I did see three barges last week which were struggling with silt, and their propellors were really turning it up, so whether that has anything to do with it I don’t know.”

Ian Walvin, president of Diggle Angling Club, lives in Failsworth and knows the stretch of canal well.

He said: “I have fished there and there are some lovely fish in the canal.

“They could restock but it would be 15 to 20 years before they grow and come back to today’s size.

“The stretch of water is deoxygenated and there could be only a third of the dead fish on the surface because the rest are still on the bottom.

“It could be malicious, because someone’s tipped something in, or it could be accidental.

“There is no fishing club using that stretch regularly now, but the fish are there because of the lads who have fished it and stocked it in the past.”

Graham Harrison added: “We would like to thank all those people who have called in so far with information.

“We urge anyone with further information to call us on our hotline 0800-80 70 60.”