SCORES of wildfowl were rescued from the River Tees by RSPCA inspectors and animal collection officers after an oil spill threatened the birds' lives.

The officers have been working near the Tees Barrage, in Thornaby, recovering oiled swans for the past few days.

Now the inspectors and animal collection officers have said thanks to staff at the Tees Barrage and the Environment Agency who have worked around the clock with them to prevent wildfowl suffering.

RSPCA inspector Garry Palmer said: "We've had our work cut out over the past week, but a difficult job has been made significantly easier thanks to the co-operation of these people.

"We had a boat out on the river every day, trying to find oiled swans which were holed up in the undergrowth at the water's edge.

"So far we've recovered five, three of which have died, but we have been able to release an adult and signet back into the wild after treating them.

"It's not clear whether the water has been contaminated with oil or diesel but, either way, the nature of the pollutant means the coating isn't obviously visible.

"You need to get really close to the birds to determine whether they are affected, and that has meant a lot of work by the RSPCA, the Environment Agency and staff at the Tees Barrage."

Three inspectors and two animal collection officers have been working daily on the operation, searching for birds and transporting contaminated waterfowl to vets.