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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Mystery as white foam covers River Irwell in Salford | Mystery as white foam covers River Irwell in Salford |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A city centre river has been covered in a mystery white foam overnight. | A city centre river has been covered in a mystery white foam overnight. |
| Part of the River Roch and a large stretch of the River Irwell between Salford and Manchester is blanketed in the unknown substance. | Part of the River Roch and a large stretch of the River Irwell between Salford and Manchester is blanketed in the unknown substance. |
| Residents suggested it looked like "leaking bubble bath" and expressed concerns for wildlife on the river. | Residents suggested it looked like "leaking bubble bath" and expressed concerns for wildlife on the river. |
| Environment Agency officers are on site investigating and Salford City Council said it would "advise residents accordingly". | Environment Agency officers are on site investigating and Salford City Council said it would "advise residents accordingly". |
| "At certain times of year we get a lot of calls about foam in rivers and still waters," an Environment Agency spokesman said. | "At certain times of year we get a lot of calls about foam in rivers and still waters," an Environment Agency spokesman said. |
| Mike Duddy, from Mersey Rivers Trust in Salford, advised the public not to enter the waterways after the "huge icebergs of foam" were discovered. | |
| While the source of the white foam has yet to be confirmed, he told BBC Radio Manchester it is believed someone has poured a pollutant down a surface water drain. | |
| "People shouldn't go in the river until it is considered safe to do so," he added. | |
| "Pollutants can be acid, alkaline or it might be a simple detergent which is what we think might have happened today. " | |
| While Mr Duddy hasn't witnessed any evidence of animals, fish and insects in distress, he said it demonstrates how "a simple act of putting the wrong thing down a surface water drain can have this terrible effect". | |
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