Concerns after huge oil slick appears in River Ouzel in Milton Keynes

Reports of an oil slick in the River Ouzel at Newport Pagnell are being investigated by the Environment Agency.

A number of residents raised concerns after the oil slick appeared in the water at Castle Meadow, near the Tickford Street bridge.

Andrew Lockley said: "This has been going on for days. I've reported it twice to the environment agency. No news back from them. It's not safe for wildlife or swimming in my opinion."

A spokesman for the Environment Agency told the Citizen: “We are working with Anglian Water to identify the source of the oil sheen that was identified in the River Ouzel, which we believe to be a lube oil, and thus less harmful than those lighter oils like diesel or kerosene.

“We have put measures in place to prevent a recurrence and expect the severity of the sheen to decline over the next five days."

The Environment Agency explained the UK Health Security Agency is the lead authority when it comes to the risks of swimming in rivers.

Its advice includes:

> The safest places to swim are designated bathing waters which are monitored and protected from sources of pollution known to be a risk to bathers’ health. There are more than 400 spots in England monitored by the EA from May – September and the results made publicly available for everyone to see.

> Anyone can become unwell when swimming in open waters. Public Health England and the EA offer advice in their ‘swim healthy’ guidance.

Members of the public should report suspected pollution as soon as possible to the Environment Agency's free 24-hour Incident Hotline on 0800 80 70 60.”