River turns bright orange and electric blue after dyes dumped in the water
Parts of the River Trent in North Staffordshire have turned bright orange and electric blue after clothing dyes were accidentally dumped into the water.
The Environmental Agency said they were aware of the discoloration of the river, which runs downstream from Stoke-on-Trent.
They have reassured the public that no fish or wildlife have been seen in distress, and that samples show no cause for concern.
Photos of the river show that the water has turned royal blue in one section and orange in another.
However, they advised people and pets to avoid the water whilst it remained discoloured and to contact them if they had any concerns.
The agency has not yet confirmed where the dyes originated from or precisely what portion of the river has been affected.
It comes after the river turned a mysterious brown colour in February before disappearing and reappearing again in April.
River bailiff John Anderson, of the Burton Trent Partnership, told Staffordshire Live at the time that the partnership was ‘set up to allow all user groups on the Trent in Burton to collaborate to make the river a nicer place for all’.
He added: ‘Unfortunately, we seem plagued with incidents along the river.’
‘The recent infamous orange/brown colouring is just the tip of the iceberg. Since then there has been mysterious foam at Branston and now this discolouration. This is not acceptable and we at Burton Trent Partnership would like some answers.’
Mr Anderson said that all incidents of pollution are ‘illegal and must never be trivialised or accepted’. He also called for culprits to be fined ‘heavily’.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.