More than 100,000 fish have washed up on the banks of a UK river with officials urging the public to stay away.
The fish were spotted on the banks of the River Nene in Peterborough’s Ferry Meadows park with officials from the Nene River Trust suspecting the incident could have been caused by polluted streams from the south flowing into the park.
Following the discovery, the trust has urged people not to bring their dogs to the park and has told the public to stay away from the area where the fish were found until further notice.
Video footage posted to social media showed the masses of fish, which were first discovered on Tuesday, lining the river bank.
The Environment Agency is now investigating the incident but has not been able to confirm what caused it.
It said there was nothing to suggest the incident was sewage-related but the river trust said the number of dead fish suggested “pollution is high”.
Samples of water taken from the site are being fast-tracked through labs to identify the polluting substance. Once the cause of the issue has been identified contractors will be called to the site to remove the fish.
Anglian Water officers are also checking the surface water drains in the area. But the supplier backed up Environment Agency claims saying there is no reason to believe this is a sewage pollution incident.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “Environment Agency officers are on site monitoring the situation and investigating the nature and the source of the substance that has polluted the river.
“We ask that people stay away from the area until further notice and dog walkers do not allow their dogs to enter the water.”
Anyone with any concerns or questions about the incident is being urged to contact the Environment Agency directly on 03708 506 506.
