ACA offers £1,000 reward to catch polluters It's now £2000-00

The Anglers’ Conservation Association (ACA) – an environmental organisation fighting to protect rivers – has offered £1,000 as a reward to catch the polluters of the river Ribble. This has now been increased by another £1000-00 from two angling clubs Ribblesdale and Clitheroe AA

Thousands of fish are thought to have been killed after several tonnes of an oil residue was poured into a storm drain at Barrow Beck and then Swanside Beck on three separate occasions in July 2006.

Although in the earlier incident at Barrow Beck the Environment Agency intercepted the pollutant before it entered the river, on the last two occasions (on 27th July and 28th July 2006), the oily material entered the Ribble between Sawley and Brungerley Bridge, filling the river almost to its complete depth. Eventually, around 8 tonnes of the substance were pumped from the water.

The Environment Agency also used pumps to re-oxygenate the water, but this did not prevent the deaths of many brown trout, sea trout, grayling and salmon. Following this catastrophic event, the river’s ecosystem may take years to recover.

All this comes as the Environment Agency has been investing in a new pilot scheme to bring the Ribble Catchment into line with the European Water Framework Directive which aims to restore good ecological status to the aquatic environment.

The polluters have not yet been found, but it is hoped that the reward put forward by the ACA will encourage those people who care about their local environment to come forward with any information which may lead to a prosecution or a successful civil claim against those involved. We would be very grateful if you could reproduce the notice overleaf in your publication.

WANTED Information leading to the prosecution and/or a successful civil action against polluter.£2,000 REWARD

The Anglers’ Conservation Association (ACA) is a not-for-profit organisation which takes action against river polluters on behalf of its member fishing clubs.The ACA hereby offers a reward of £1,000 for information leading to the successful prosecution or civil action against the person or persons responsible for flytipping liquid waste into a storm drain at Swanside Beck on 27th July and 28th July 2006. The waste material – believed to be oil residue from bio-fuel manufacture or refining – eventually entered the River Ribble between Sawley and Brungerley Bridge causing the death of many fish and ongoing damage to the river ecosystem.

Please contact the ACA on 01568 620 447 or email ([email protected]), in complete confidence, if you have any information on the identity of the person(s) responsible for this devastating pollution.