On Saturday morning, 29 July, dead fish were seen floating down the Welsh Dee at Farndon, Cheshire. At about 4pm the Environment Agency were called in and found that the Dee was polluted from Bangor right down to the Estuary at Connah’s Quay, a distance of approximately 22 miles.
Katherine Corcoran of the EA told FISHINGmagic that so far 10,000 fish have died, including salmon, trout, sea trout, barbel and pike. She said, ‘we still don’t know the cause of the pollution but we have taken samples and are still investigating. Fish have also been taken to the laboratories for autopsy and we are still awaiting the result of those tests.
‘It is a very serious pollution,’ she continued. ‘The Welsh Dee serves over 2.5 million people with drinking water and we have had to close the water treatment plants at Huntingdon and Chester. They will remain closed until our investigations are complete.’
FISHINGmagic will report back as more news becomes available.
