Hundreds of fish found dead near Primary School

Hundreds of fish have been found dead in a stream close to a York Primary School.

For months villagers in Elvington have been complaining about a strong smell emanating from the beck that runs through the village, with the smell being worst as it runs past the local primary school.

Numerous residents, the parish council, the Ward Councillor Christian Vassie and others have been complaining to the Environment Agency about the smell which started in December 2022. Residents living near the beck have been forced to keep doors and windows closed even during hot weather, as the smell is so strong.

The Environment Agency finally confirmed recently that the source of the pollution had been found and that remedial action had been taken, but only days after this confirmation, residents were horrified to see hundreds of dead fish in the beck. Whether the two issues are linked or not has yet to be confirmed.

Andrea Tranter has lived in the village for 11 years and she says she has "never seen anything like this."

She said, "I am concerned for all the wildlife as it is probably not just the fish being affected but things further up the food chain in the circle of life as well. I have been here 11 years and never seen anything like it before and we can't afford to lose so much in one go and clearly they suffered in the process.  Its quite sickening really." 

Christian Vassie, councillor for the area, described it as a "pollution scandal in slow motion".

He said, "I'm incredibly frustrated that this is yet another example of the problems we have got with pollution in rivers across the country.  The Environment Agency tells me that they have identified the source of the oil. Domestic heating oil has been leaking from a business on the industrial estate. Those responsible have been instructed to fix the leak and to remove the land/soil that has been contaminated. The EA assured me that the oil is not coming from a business selling heating oil but from a business using it to heat their premises."

“The City Council has finally escalated its response and is now also asking for answers and action. I have repeatedly asked the EA at what point they will move to prosecute if the matter is not resolved - in the interests of human health and in terms of biodiversity in the Beck, the River Derwent and The Lower Derwent Valley nature reserve. I hope to get clear indication of next steps very shortly. 

I walked the Beck this lunchtime and saw the hundreds of dead fish for myself. I believe that these are common minnows; can someone with expertise confirm or deny this? While I was by the Beck I met a woman from the EA who had been sent to look at the situation and report back. She had taken various measurements and discovered that there were problems with oxygen levels and ammonia levels in the waters of the Beck. She wasn't equipped to test for the presence of oil. Low oxygen levels and high levels of ammonia (commonly from agricultural runoff) can kill fish so it may be the case that, in this instance, the fish have not been killed by oil. I did not see dead fish down behind the church or up by the school. I have requested an on-site meeting between the EA, the city council and various councillors.

I have also informed Lower Derwent Valley reserve of the situation as well as the new administration at the city council. The media are thankfully also very interested in this story and in ensuring that the problem is kept in the public eye. I thank them for that."

“Regardless of whether the dead fish are a result of the oil or of agricultural fertilisers entering the Beck, or another source; the whole thing is a pollution scandal in slow motion and totally unacceptable."

"The Environment Agency have had 8 months to fix this. It's just harrowing that we are not getting anywhere fast enough. This beck goes past a primary school and heads into a nature reserve.”

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “A number of reports have been received about dead fish in Elvington Beck, York. Officers are investigating the Beck for potential sources of pollution. We’d like to thank the concerned members of the public for raising this with us. It’s important people who spot fish in distress report it to our 24/7 incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 so that our officers can investigate.”