The River Irwell has turned a vivid shade of 'milky green' after being polluted by large quantities of an unidentified substance over the weekend. The colour change was spotted as the river passed through Radcliffe, in Greater Manchester, with pictures shared on Saturday showing the contamination spreading downstream in large quantities, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Councillor suspects organised dump
Local councillor Ken Simpson, who represents the Radcliffe East ward, said he suspected the colour change was due to an “organised dump” because of the “sheer quantity” of the substance. He reported there was “no strong chemical smell” in the area, saying a senior United Utilities officer called out to the site “suspected it could be a waste milk dump”.
“I’ve just been to the location of what appears to be a spillage of an unidentified substance into the River Irwell alongside the new footbridge on Rectory Lane,” he said. “United Utilities are on scene but have already confirmed it isn’t one of their outlets but a private drain from one of Radcliffe's ancient “goits” which now run beneath local housing.”
“Due to the sheer quantity of whatever this substance is and that we have had reports of it increasing and decreasing at different times of day it appears to be an organised dump of some kind,” he added. “The spillage has immediately diffused into the downstream river completely changing its colour to a milky green colour. I know this is obvious but my advice is to keep children and pets out of the water downstream until we have confirmation it is safe.”
Environment Agency investigates
The Environment Agency said it is investigating the source of the leak and has “taken samples for analysis”. A spokesman for the organisation said: “We take our role in cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas seriously. We are investigating the source of this white substance and have also taken samples for analysis. Any suspected pollution incidents should be reported as soon as possible to our 24/7 hotline on 0800 80 70 60, or online.”
United Utilities, which is responsible for water and waste water services in the region, has confirmed that the spill did not come from its network. A United Utilities spokesman said: “Following reports of pollution in the River Irwell in Radcliffe on Saturday, our teams inspected our assets and confirmed the substance was not linked to our network.”
Residents report previous incidents
Residents say this is not the first time unidentified substances have contaminated the waters in that area. One person said spills "happen a lot there", adding this incident "looked very big". Another added: “It’s just awful, even if it’s ‘just’ milk it will have a massive impact and strip the affected area of oxygen. Britain's rivers are in a terrible state.”
The Environment Agency confirmed it received a report of a similar incident last month.
