King’s Lynn Middleton Stop Drain visited by Councillor Rob Colwell to test water pollution

A waterway that has shown signs of pollution has been visited by a councillor and an expert to provide residents with potential answers.

Residents at The Chase in Lynn have voiced their concerns for a number of years about the state of the Middleton Stop Drain and attended the testing.

Rob Colwell, councillor for Gaywood and West Norfolk, visited the site on Monday with expert Russell Biggs to conduct citizen science tests.

The results have shown no signs of phosphate or nitrate levels being too high but raised concerns about siltation being the cause of the pollution.

Barry Tomlin, a resident, said: “The water was tested in lots of ways and the good news is that there were no nitrate or phosphate levels which are the two really bad ones.

“Surprisingly there were high levels of silt which is an absolute disaster.

“SIlt is fine particles suspended in water and it is very dangerous as it blocks fish gills and cuts out sunlight which stops photosynthesis and. and generally suffocates the water.

“The water temperature was tested and as silt traps the warmth of the water it showed the temperature was too high for fish to live in.”

There has been some improvement in the clarity of the water but residents are still concerned that there is pollution being caused.

The Environment Agency (EA) put in a monitoring system but residents such as Mr Tomlin still see a decline in state of the area.

Mr Colwell is a member of the Gaywood River Revival Group, and he said: “The idea was for Russell Briggs to conduct live testing for phosphate and nitrate and there was no evidence from those sources.

“But when you see it with your own eyes there is something not right and the silt is potentially causing pollution.

“The water temperature was 23 degrees celsius and a healthy chalk stream should be much lower.

“The oxygen levels were unusually low at 53 per cent and it appears that the river is unhealthy.

“Now that we have determined that it is not the same chemical issue as the Gaywood River, I will be engaging with land-owners trying to track down where the river suddenly gets bad, and ask the EA to get involved.

“It was noticeable that there is concern with the number of residents who came out to chat and they are still fighting.

“There has been a real decline over the last five years when there used to be Kingfishers and the residents do not want to be fobbed off.”

Russel Biggs, member of the Gaywood River Revival Group, said: “I was quite surprised that the levels of phosphate, nitrate and ammonia were low.

“The indicator of silt is not great and the temperature of the water could kill most fish.

“I know it has been hot, but silt is like wearing a black t-shirt on a sunny day which absorbs the sun but it is the easiest of things to fix and the EA should be doing this.”

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We hugely value the contribution of enthusiastic citizen scientists and share their passion for the environment.

“We’d ask that those involved in such testing getting in touch with us with their results so we can better understand them.

“Anyone with environmental concerns should contact us on 0800 807060.”