EA will not release name of source behind River Witham pollution incident

In March, EA investigators said they found high levels of ammonia in the River Witham where thousands of fish had been reported dead.

The EA began receiving reports from the public that hundreds of fish were struggling to breathe and dying on a stretch of the Witham between Bardney Bridge and Tattershall Bridge.

On Friday (October 5), an EA spokesperson said: “We are aware of the source of the pollution, and a company is assisting us in our investigations.

“We take incidents like this very seriously, and will always seek to prosecute those who negligently damage our precious environment, and wildlife.

“This could mean a criminal conviction and a hefty fine, and we have dedicated Environmental Crime officers working on this incident.

“Once our investigations are complete, we will fully consider each of the enforcement options available to us.

“This could include, but is not limited to, criminal prosecution.

“Although we understand that people would like to know more, this is currently an active investigation.

“Any information we share could prejudice, and potentially undermine, our investigation if found inappropriate.

“It is unusual for a case of this size to be in court within months of the pollution occurring.

“As part of our work to ensure the river recovers as soon as possible, we have restocked the river with fish and fish larvae that were reared by our own fish farm in Calverton.

“To date, we have introduced about 1.5 million larvae which have been a mix of common bream, roach and tench.

“In addition we also introduced about 30,000 30-40mm roach and common bream.

“We will consider further restocking activity as the recovery process progresses.”