A huge amount of fish have been found dead by what is believed to be pollution in the River Sheppey near Shepton Mallet, Somerset. The river has been polluted by a source which is thought to have been tracked by the Environment Agency. But at present, it is currently unclear what the source is. Agency officers have been working all weekend and have prevented the pollutant entering the River Brew.

The pollutant is affecting a 10 mile stretch of the waterway.

Posting to Facebook, the agency said it is working to protect the river.

But it also confirmed it is unsure of the exact number of fish that have died as a result of the toxic pollutant.

The post read: “We are dealing with pollution affecting 15km of the River Sheppey.

“The pollution has been tracked to a probable source and we are attempting to protect the lower end of the River Sheppey/River Brue.

“The number of fish killed won’t be known until the water clears.”

Witnesses have claim to see ‘hundreds’ of fish dead floating in the river.

The Environment Agency also thanked a child who reportedly spotted dead fish in the river and took a photograph.

It said: “We are very grateful to a 12-year-old boy who removed fish from a small stretch of the river, put them in his bucket, then staged a photograph for us.”

A post on Sunday from the Environment Agency read: “We’ve seen an improvement in the River Sheppey between lower and upper Godney thanks to spraying hydrogen peroxide and aerating the water with ‘floballs’.

“But pollution has likely killed thousands of fish and invertebrates.

“We return tomorrow to check levels.”

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A Twitter user posted a picture of a dead fish floating in the water.

He captioned the photograph: “Fish kill on the #River Sheppey from #pollution.

“Efforts continue today to save the fish.”

In the past, the River Sheppey’s water quality has been deemed as “good” in the past by the agency.

But there has been a history of discharges from sewage treatment works in the area that can contribute to nutrient levels in rivers.

Signs of nutrient enrichment are noticeable at times of low flow and the ecology, which adversely affects the river in it’s upper reaches.

On Monday, a Twitter user implied that the nearby Croscombe Sewage Works, owned by Wessex Water, was ‘leaking”.

The concerned user tweeted the water company: “Can you confirm @wessexwater whether this is true and your treatment works near #SheptonMallet is leaking & killing fish on the #RiverSheppey @Ofwat”

On Monday morning, officials were seen at the affected site in order to assess oxygen levels in the river.

Wessex Fisheries tweeted to say they were assisting the agency with their assessment efforts.

The official account posted: “We’ve been out helping in the response to the River Sheppey incident.

“Officers have been out all weekend and will be on site again today.”

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