Oil dumped in waterway

BOATING on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal was affected over the week-end as British Waterways and the Environment Agency cleared up an oil slick that polluted the waterway.

Ducks and swans had to be rescued from the slick after an estimated 25 gallons had been dumped into the waterway, Alan Tilbury tells us.

Enfield Wharf

The slick appeared  at Enfield Wharf in Clayton Le Moors, where the Environment Agency are currently carrying out an investigation to find out from where the oil originated, and if it was dumped into the waterway or put into a drain.

The birds affected were rescued by British Waterways, then taken to an emergency RSPCA wildlife centre.

Common to dump oil

A spokesman for the RSPCA told that it was common for people working on their cars to dump oil in the canal or into the drains, many of which feed into the water.

Cath Ferguson, Environment Manager at British Waterways explained that booms had been  deployed  in order to contain and soak up the diesel.