Skip to content

Burst pipe pours sewage into Swindon river

BBC Dead fish in the River Ray in WiltshireBBC
Many dead fish were visible in the river

A burst pipe which has led to polluted water escaping into a river might take several days to fix.

Thames Water has sent specialist teams to a sewage pumping station in Haydon End, Swindon, to fix the leak and remove sewage from the River Ray.

The Environment Agency said about 1,000 fish had died in the river.

The water company said it was monitoring the river's water quality and the leak would not affect drinking water or wastewater services.

Dead fish on banks of River Ray in Wiltshire
The Environment Agency said 1,000 fish had died because of the leak

A spokesperson said it was a "complex repair" which would take a few days to complete.

They added: "Our repair team will be working flat out to get the pipe fixed as soon as possible.

"Unfortunately, waste water from the burst escaped into the River Ray.

"We have deployed a significant number of tankers in the area. They are connecting to our sewer network and removing waste water.

"This allows us to access the broken pipe safely and protects local homes from flooding.

"We apologise if the tankers are causing any disruption to local residents but this activity is essential."

Thames Water pipe repair work close to River Ray in Wiltshire
Thames Water is carrying out repairs

Ash Smith, a campaigner for clean water, said the situation was "absolutely appalling.

"The damage is catastrophic; basically the whole river has been wiped out".

Mr Smith described the resulting pollution as "the death of a river".

Presentational grey line

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]