Beck pollution source must be 'found and stopped'

Pollution entering a watercourse in the Yorkshire Dales is causing a smell "that makes you feel sick", residents have said.

On social media, people in Hawes reported discoloured, oily water and a smell of diesel in Gayle Beck, a tributary of the River Ure.

The Environment Agency (EA) said its investigations were ongoing following a visit to the area on Friday.

The operator of a nearby dairy factory, Saputo, said it had confirmed its premises was not the source.

"There is a thick milky, oily look to the water, which has a film on top, and a reek of fuel in the air that makes you feel sick if you breath in too deeply," a resident wrote on social media.

North Yorkshire Conservative councillor Yvonne Peacock said the pollution was "disgraceful".

"I've been having a look and it's quite clear that some diesel or oil has got into the beck," the Upper Dales representative added.

Jill McMullon, chair of Hawes and High Abbotside Parish Council, said: "People have seen dead fish in the river and so there's potentially a real environmental impact from this.

"Where exactly it's coming from, I don't know but it needs to be found and stopped."

The pollution has been spotted at a waterfall in the middle of Hawes which is popular with sightseers and photographers, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A spokesperson for the EA said: "Whilst pollution was visible, our officers were unable to establish the source.

"Water samples have been taken and our investigations are ongoing."

Previous pollution in the beck was attributed to a faulty drainage system at the Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes.

Following discharge from the business in March, Saputo, which owns the cheesemaker, said the issue with the drainage system had been resolved and further remedial works would take place to ensure there were no future problems.

Regarding the latest reports of pollution, a spokesperson for Saputo UK said: "As members of the local community, we take environmental concerns extremely seriously.

"Following reports of pollution in the Gayle Beck, we have been conducting thorough investigations and found that the creamery is not the source of the oily substance which appears upstream of our facility."

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