Environment Agency bosses have contained a large oil spill in the River Brue at Highbridge after a major operation on Saturday (Nov 4th) to prevent the pollution spreading.
Agency officials spent much of Friday night and Saturday at the scene of the spill, near the New Clyce bridge, after a large quantity of diesel oil was spotted flowing into the river through a water inlet.
The smell of diesel was still heavy in the air on Saturday afternoon when Burnham-On-Sea.com visited the scene. Oil could also be seen in the water, as pictured below, although the Environment Agency said it believed the spill had fortunately had “little impact on wildlife.”
Two large booms have been installed around the water inlet where the oil is believed to have entered the river as part of a bid to prevent any further leakage.
Environment Agency spokesman Paul Gainey confirmed to Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We’ve used several booms to try and contain the diesel oil and prevent it spreading downstream.”
He added that the cause of the spill was still unknown, although a full investigation into the incident was very likely. Earlier, the BBC had reported that the Environment Agency had considered closing several sluice gates further downstream to contain the spill.
RELATED LINKS:
BBC Somerset: Severe diesel oil spill in river [External Website]
January 2006 oil spill at Highbridge prompts big clean-up
