A petition has been launched to demand a public inquiry into hundreds of fish dying in a Lake District beck.
The Save Windermere campaign is calling for an investigation to be reopened into the Environment Agency’s handling of the Cunsey Beck incident, which saw rare and protected fish killed in June 2022.
Over 8,700 people have so far signed the petition.
At the time, the Environment Agency said it was unable to find a cause or source of the incident.
The campaign, founded by Matt Staniek, is also calling for the removal of the Environment Agency’s board and senior management who have responsibility in the North West region.
The decision to launch the petition came after Save Windermere and charity WildFish investigated documents from the organisation’s handling of the incident.
Due to widespread public concern around Windermere’s water quality, the Environment Agency in late 2022 asked the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to review the investigation.
The organisation produced a report flagging concerns and suggesting improvements.
Mr Staniek claimed that Save Windermere’s review of the report found ‘critical gaps’ in the Environment Agency’s investigation.
He added that the campaign was urging the Environment Agency to reopen the case by December 18 and conduct an independent review.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: “We take our responsibility to protect the environment very seriously. We will always investigate serious pollution incidents and take strong action against those that do not follow the rules or are deliberately obstructive.
“In June 2022 our officers responded to reports of dead fish and water decolourisation at Cunsey Beck. Having fully reviewed the evidence, the Environment Agency officer’s professional judgement concluded an algal bloom in Esthwaite Water was the most likely cause.
“Due to the seriousness of this incident, and the fact we did not identify a definitive source, we asked the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency to review our response to the incident.
“We recognise there are things we should have done better and that is why we have made improvements to water quality monitoring in the area, including installing sensors that monitor river quality in real time.
“We have also shared our learning within the Environment Agency which is now informing our approach to incident response and water company regulation.”
Wildfish and Windrush Against Sewage Pollution also support the request to reopen the investigation.
Mr Staniek said: “Our opinion is that they have been negligent in performing their statutory duties to protect Windermere and its tributaries and, as a result, our lake is being exploited. By failing in their regulatory responsibilities they open themselves up to accusations of incompetence and worse.
“We demand United Utilities hands over all of their data from the time of the Cunsey Beck fish death and that the Environment Agency urgently reopens the investigation.”
