Ickleford: Suspected oil spill pollutes chalk stream river

The Environment Agency (EA) said it had found the source of an apparent oil spill in a fresh water chalk stream.

Residents in Ickleford, Hertfordshire, said they first noticed the oil slick in the River Oughton a week ago.

A former flour mill site nearby was believed to be the source of the spillage and the landowner said "remedial work has now been taken".

Resident Kane Kramer said there were no signs of animals in the water, such as swans and voles, in recent days.

"The [oil slick] has built up and built up and continued to the point that now it has devastated and scared off, or worse, all of the local wildlife," said Mr Kramer, speaking to BBC Three Counties Radio.

Mr Kramer, whose garden backs on to the River Hiz, which the Oughton flows into, questioned why the EA did not address the pollution sooner.

An EA spokesperson said: "After investigations our officers have found the source of this pollution and we are working with land agents to resolve this issue as soon as possible."

Anyone caught breaching environmental laws could face prosecution, the spokesperson added.

Ickleford Mill nearby is due to be demolished to make way for 70 homes.

A spokesman for Logie Property, which owns the mill site, said "Remedial action has now been taken to deal with the existing spillage and appropriate measures will be put in place to prevent further spillage.

"We take our responsibility to the local community extremely seriously and would like to thank people for alerting the EA."

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