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Warning over River Trent cyanide Warning over River Trent cyanide
(about 23 hours later)
The deadly chemical cyanide and a quantity of raw sewage have leaked into a 30-mile stretch of the River Trent in Staffordshire. The deadly chemical cyanide and a quantity of sewage have leaked into a 30-mile stretch of the River Trent in Staffordshire.
Thousands of fish have died and people are being warned to stay away from the river while the incident is controlled. Thousands of fish have died and people have been warned to stay away from the river while the incident is controlled.
The Environment Agency said pollution in the stretch between Stoke-on-Trent and Yoxall made it a health risk. The Environment Agency said pollution levels on the stretch between Stoke-on-Trent and Yoxall were starting to drop.
Farmers, anglers and boaters have been warned that water should not be taken out of the river "for any reason". A spokeswoman said she could not give more information on where the cyanide had come from for legal reasons.
We expect there will be quite a big clean-up operation involved RSPCA spokeswoman She warned the public, farmers, anglers, boaters and pets to stay away from the water as a precaution.
Severn Trent Water said the cyanide had been released by someone into the sewers upstream from the company's Strongford sewage treatment works in Stoke.
David Lowe, Environment Agency: "We've had staff working around the clock"
That had caused problems at the works, which meant partially-treated sewage was also released into the river.
Simon Cocks, waste water services director, said Severn Trent was not linked in any way to the chemical but said it was working with the Environment Agency to find out what had happened.
A spokeswoman said the company did not get its water from the Trent and the water supply had not been affected "at all".
Alan Walters, from the Environment Agency, told BBC News the incident had had "a huge impact".Alan Walters, from the Environment Agency, told BBC News the incident had had "a huge impact".
He said they were attempting to use hydrogen peroxide to offset the worst effects of the spillage. However, the agency said it had not received any reports of humans or pets being affected by the contaminated water.
Andrew Marsh, from Severn Trent Water, said a leak of cyanide, which had not been caused by the company, had knocked out a water treatment plant and this had led to a discharge of sewage. Officers from the agency spent the night pumping oxygen into the river to offset the worst effects of the spillage.
The Environment Agency said the pollution was expected to reach Burton on Trent by late afternoon on Wednesday. The Environment Agency said the pollution was expected to reach Burton-upon-Trent by late afternoon.
It is thought the risk to the public may then have been reduced but officers were continuing to monitor the situation. A spokeswoman said that officials were tracking the pollution as it moved downstream and would keep taking water samples to monitor the situation.
A spokeswoman said an investigation had been launched into the cause but could not give further information for legal reasons. A spokeswoman for the RSPCA urged members of the public not to go near any animals in distress but instead to report any sightings to the charity.
'Tracking' pollution She said: "For those people with livestock we would remind them to get them away from the area as safely as possible."
The cyanide and untreated sewage were at levels to be "cause for concern, especially with regard to fish, wildlife and animals".
Thousands of fish have already died but it was important that farm animals and dogs were kept out of the water.
"We are tracking the pollution as it moves downstream," the spokeswoman added.
The RSPCA said it would be sending a team to the area at first light to assess the situation.
"We expect there will be quite a big clean-up operation involved. For those people with livestock we would remind them to get them away from the area as safely as possible," a spokeswoman said.