HUNDREDS of fish in Swindon's waterways are being killed by leaking waste.

As specialist Thames Water teams tackle a burst sewage pumping station pipe in Haydon End, the devastating environmental effect of the contamination is being seen further downstream.

The mess at the Thames tributary has poisoned the River Ray and made it uninhabitable for the animals which lived in it.

The WASP (Windrush Against Sewage Pollution) group posted a video of the water's wildlife which has floated lifelessly to the river's surface after the leak.

 

A spokesman said: "Sweating the assets until they break is how the water industry shareholders make billions, Today the beautiful life that filled the river Ray near Swindon is no more thanks to a broken Thames Water sewer. Sickening

"There were very many tiny fish - minnows and fry as well as the bigger chub and one pike.

"We only scratched the surface - many more are dead on the river bed, covered in sewage fungus.

"They didn't have a chance. One had grabbed a mouthful of weed for some reason in its final moments."

Swindon Advertiser: Fish have been killed by sewage polluting a river near Swindon. Picture: TONY FELSTEADFish have been killed by sewage polluting a river near Swindon. Picture: TONY FELSTEAD

Tony Felstead raised the alarm about the sewage leak on Facebook over the weekend.

He told the Adver: "I don’t think anyone estimated the severity of the incident and the impact it was going to have… Thames Water responded quickly to get the infrastructure in place, but this took nearly 24 hours due to the sheer amount of planning and pump trucks required.

"The Environment Agency didn’t know the severity of the incident until Saturday afternoon when it was reported on Friday - at that point it was too late and the ecosystem has been destroyed.

"I’m not too sure when the aerator team arrived by Blunsdon Station, but they were not there on Saturday evening.

"I’ve spent time with Environment Agency officers taking samples of the water in the area, and there are lots of dead fish from the effluent pollution caused by the leak at the Taw Hill Riser station.

"The contaminated water will take a while to be flushed down the river and normal levels restored."

The Environment Agency said around 1,000 fish had died in the river.

Swindon Advertiser: Fish have been killed by sewage polluting a river near Swindon. Picture: TONY FELSTEADFish have been killed by sewage polluting a river near Swindon. Picture: TONY FELSTEAD