MORE than 50 wild birds had to be rescued after a large amount of chemical detergent was tipped into Newton Lake at Willow Park on Southworth Road, Newton-le-Willows.
The spillage was reported at 10.30am on Sunday, June 15, after it became clear the chemicals had taken away the birds' waterproof protection and they were having difficulty keeping afloat.
Fire services nearby were sent to the scene and after cordoning-off the contaminated area with an inflatable 'boom', officers and representatives from the RSPCA were able to rescue and clean-up the birds, which included ducks, swans and cygnets.
The Warrington-based Environment Agency is now investigating the incident and a spokesman told the Star: "We have traced the cause back to an incident on Saturday, June 14 when trade waste from a company was emptied in Millingford Brook, which feeds into Newton Lake. A clean-up operation was launched as soon as the problem was identified and we are now investigating the cause of the incident."
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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