Poison puzzle of dead fish in river dead

Officers from the Environment Agency were called to Darlington at the weekend to examine fish found dead on the river bed between Skerne Bridge and Haughton Bridge.

The majority of fish were found at Five Arches Bridge, but others have been spotted along a one kilometre stretch of the river.

The source of what appears to be poisoning, was unknown, and environment officers have confirmed that whatever had killed the fish was no longer evident in the river.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: "There is no evidence of pollution in the stream at the moment, so whatever has killed these fish is no longer in the water.

"It is centred on the Five Arches Bridge area of the River Skerne.

"Our fisheries officers have checked upstream and downstream and our inquiries are continuing.

"They have been trying to find the cause of the deaths, but it does appear to be an isolated case.

"We were informed by a member of the public and we were subsequently called by the police. There appears to have been a case of pollution."

Although officers said they were still unsure what type of fish had been killed, local residents are convinced the majority are stock trout.

Bill Mooney, who lives close to the river, said he spotted dozens of dead trout as he went for a morning walk.

The 66-year-old said: "I fish myself and I've just come back from a trip to Scotland and I never saw any trout as big as this.

"There are dozens of them all along a small stretch of river.

"They look like stock trout because they are big and fat, and must have been released into the water, because they would be thinner if they had grown in the river.

"But they have all died from some sort of water contamination, and it is such a massive shame.

"It's disgusting if it is pollution, because a lot of work has been done to clean the river.

"Some of the dead fish are chub, which are quite hardy, so whatever has killed them must be pretty toxic."