Concern over pollution in Yorkshire Dales stream
Community leaders have spoken of their concerns after complaints of pollution in a watercourse
Residents in Hawes have reported discoloured, oily water in Gayle Beck, a tributary of the River Ure.
A smell of fuel coming from the stream has also been noted.
Numerous photos and videos of the pollution have been posted on social media.
Complaints have been made to the Environment Agency, which has sent investigators to the area.
One resident said: “There is a thick milky, oily look to the water, which has a film on top, and a reek of fuel in the air that makes you feel sick if you breath in too deeply.”
Upper Dales division councillor Yvonne Peacock described the pollution as “disgraceful”.
“I’ve been having a look and it’s quite clear that some diesel or oil has got into the beck.
“We’ve had a bit of rain which has cleared it but it just means it will have gone into the River Ure.
“The Environment Agency have been out and a had a look but I don’t think they’ve been able to find the source.”
Jill McMullon, chair of Hawes and High Abbotside Parish Council, added: “We’re very concerned about it.
“I rang the Environment Agency myself on Sunday and told them it was an emergency because it is. Where exactly it’s coming from, I don’t know but it needs to be found and stopped.”
The pollution has been spotted at a waterfall in the middle of Hawes which is popular with sightseers and photographers.
Real environmental impact
Cllr McMullon added: “People have seen dead fish in the river and so there’s potentially a real environmental impact from this.”
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “Our officers visited the Gayle beck in Hawes, North Yorkshire on Friday and over the weekend, after we received reports of potential pollution.
“Whilst pollution was visible, our officers were unable to establish the source. Water samples have been taken and our investigations are ongoing.
“We would like to thank those members of the public who reported this to us, both on Gov.uk and through our hotline on 0800 80 70 60.”
Previous pollution in the beck has been attributed to a faulty drainage system at the Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes.
Following discharge from the business in March, Saputo, which owns the cheesemaker, said the issue with the drainage system had been resolved and further remedial works would take place to ensure there were no future problems.
UPDATE: 16 July
Saputo told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the latest incident was not caused by their facility.
A Saputo spokesperson said: “As members of the local community, we take environmental concerns extremely seriously.
“Following reports of pollution in the Gayle Beck, we have been conducting thorough investigations and found that the creamery is not the source of the oily substance which appears upstream of our facility.”
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