CRIMINAL PROBE OVER POLLUTION
Experts find mystery Ouseburn substance
WARNINGS TO DOGWALKERS AFTER FROTH TAKES OVER CITY RIVER
A MAJOR pollution incident in the Ouseburn is being treated as a criminal investigation.
Warnings have been issued about the condition of the river through Jesmond Dene, after the water turned foamy over recent weeks.
The Environment Agency (EA) was called in last month to find the source of the pollution, which led city parks bosses to tell locals not to enter the water or let their pets go in.
Now Urban Green Newcastle has confirmed that EA officials had found the mystery substance and were cleaning pipes to remove it.
The EA also confirmed for the first time that they are conducting a criminal investigation into the pollution.
When the froth was first spotted in April, the agency said it was “highly likely” that the pollutant had entered the river through the surface water drainage system, which is designed for rainwater run-off, and asked people not to put anything down those drains that contains chemicals.
Urban Green, the charity which now runs the city’s parks, tweeted: “The Environment Agency have isolated the source of the issue and are working with Northumbrian Water to cleanse the affected pipes.
“For the time being they are still advising that people do not enter the water until this work has been completed.”
An Environment Agency spokesperson added: “There is an ongoing criminal investigation into the pollution incident at the River Ouseburn in Jesmond Dene.
“We will take further water quality samples this week as efforts to establish the impact of the pollution continue. The local authority has put warning signs up at Jesmond Dene as a precaution.”
The Environment Agency has the power to prosecute perpetrators of environmental crimes, which can lead to fines being imposed in court.
The sight of foam floating down the Ouseburn was first reported on social media on April 19 and has recurred since, during rain that caused extra water to enter the surface water system.