'Suspicious activity' appeal over pollution that caused death of 100,000 fish in Peterborough's River Nene launched

An appeal to find the cause of pollution that killed more than 100,000 in Peterborough has been launched – with the Environment Agency asking anyone who saw any suspicious activity to get in touch.

The investigation into the pollution in the River Nene near Goldie Meadows in Nene Park is ongoing, with the Environment Agency refusing to comment on a number of questions put to them by the Peterborough Telegraph.

However, a post on X (formally Twitter) from the agency called for anyone with information to come forward.

The post said; “A serious water pollution incident this week near Ferry Meadows, Nene Park #Peterborough, has led to thousands of fish deaths. We are investigating but if you can help please get in touch.

"If you saw any suspicious activity on Sunday or Monday on this part of the river, please contact our incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.”

The pollution was first reported on Tuesday morning.

Residents are still being asked to stay away – and keep dogs away – from the water, although the park is open as normal.

This morning, The Peterborough Telegraph asked the agency if there was any information on whether a suspected source of the pollution had been found, if it was believed pollution was still entering the river, what chemicals are involved in the incident, what action was being taken to clean up the spill, and if any other wildlife were thought to be under threat by the incident.

However, an Environment Agency spokesperson said: “We won’t have the results back from the lab until next week, so we can’t answer any of these questions until the investigation is complete.”

The spokesperson pointed the Peterborough Telegraph to the statement released on Wednesday about the matter. That statement said; “Environment Agency officers are on site monitoring the situation and investigating the nature and the source of the substance that has polluted the river.

“We ask that people stay away from the area until further notice, and dog walkers do not allow their dogs to enter the water.

“We encourage members of the public to report environmental incidents to us on our free 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.”

It also confirmed that sewage was not believed to be the cause, more than 100,000 fish had been killed, the agency was fast tracking samples through their lab to find out what was in the water, and a team of contractors were on standby to clear up the site, once it was known what had been spilt into the water.