RESIDENTS of a Dales village have spoken of their concerns about the River Swale after a local school's oil tank was found to be leaking - with thousands of litres potentially escaping. 

The Environment Agency is awaiting the results of ongoing testing after it was discovered that a heating oil tank at Reeth Community Primary School had been leaking for a number of weeks and possibly entering watercourses that feed the river Swale.

One resident, who didn't want to be named, told The Northern Echo that locals had been concerned about a smell of oil near the school since mid-December last year, but that the Environment Agency were only made aware of the issue a month later.

The Northern Echo: Reeth Community Primary SchoolReeth Community Primary School (Image: Google)

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"Thousands of litres of oil had already leaked into the farmer's water supply by the time the Environment Agency came to check it out," they said.

"The farmer says that their animals' water supply has been contaminated."

The Environment Agency was only made aware of the situation on January 22, however speculation on social media about a potential ecological hazard had been taking place since the previous month.

Work is currently underway to remediate the farmer's land, while testing of watercourses to assess the impact of the oil leak is ongoing.

North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for strategic resources, Howard Emmett, said: “Reeth Community Primary School reported a suspected leak from its oil tank in January.

“The local authority supported the school to take immediate action and put in place a temporary solution to stop any further leakage and restore heating and hot water to the school. This was done without disruption to pupils’ education. A new heating oil tank is now being sourced.

“Some oil was discovered to have leaked onto a nearby field. The Environment Agency was notified and remediation work and soil testing is being undertaken.

“The watercourse is also being tested and we are currently waiting for the results of those tests. Preventative measures are also in place to stop oil from seeping into the waterway.”

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Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Environment Agency added, “Since receiving reports of the oil spill at Reeth Primary School on Sunday 22 January, our officers have been on site regularly using absorbent pads to soak up the oil.

“Fortunately there is no indication of oil entering the nearby river or any signs of harm to wildlife. Responsibility has now been passed to partners and we continue to work closely with them. We encourage people to report environmental concerns to the Environment Agency through our 24hr incident hotline 0800 807060.”