Fishing suspended following chemical spill in river – Fishupdate.com

Fishing suspended following chemical spill in river Published:  21 June, 2012

FISHING in The Wash in the east of England has been suspended following a chemical spill in the River Nene.

The Food Standards Agency yesterday (June 20 2012) imposed control orders on fish and shellfish caught in The Wash and River Nene, which runs through Sutton Bridge.

The Environment Agency has linked the deaths of an estimated 4,000 fish with the pesticides spill at Orton Southgate at the weekend.

The Environment Agency and police are investigating the incident, in which 5,000 litres went into the river.

The Food Standards Agency said: “As a precautionary measure there are control orders in place to prevent gathering of fish and shellfish from the River Nene and The Wash.

“The Food Standards Agency is expecting results today from samples that have been taken by the Environment Agency and local authorities in the potentially contaminated areas.

“Once we have these results we will contact the relevant local authorities and provide further advice on this situation.”

Tens of thousands of fish have also been struggling along the length of river from Orton Mere to Wisbech.

The Environment Agency has been managing water flows between Orton Mere and the Dog in a Doublet Sluice, Whittlesey, to help dilute it.