Over 13,000 people have signed a petition calling for a public inquiry into Lake District fish deaths.
Campaign group Save Windermere said the Environment Agency’s investigation into the death of the fish at Cunsey Beck was not fit-for-purpose and its conclusion that it would not take any action was not sufficient.
The fish died in June 2022 and the Environment Agency said it was the officer’s professional judgement that an algal bloom in Esthwaite Water was the most likely
cause.
However, the campaign group, led by Matt Staniek, dispute this and claim the agency did not conduct a robust investigation as it failed to systematically sample the
river downstream of the sewage pipe and did not take any dead fish for autopsy.
Save Windermere launched its online petition last week and has so far seen 13,341 people sign it.
It said its representatives have met with the Environment Agency and it was a positive conversation, but Save Windermere will continue to put pressure on the organisation to uphold its statutory duty and take action to improve conditions in Windermere in the first months of 2024.
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.”
To sign the petition, visit https://chng.it/4TKpwwfwNW
