Campaigners concerns grow about water pollution following Telford tanker fire
Campaigners have taken pictures of what they believe is pollution in local watercourses following a major tanker fire in Telford on Tuesday (April 14).
Environmental campaigners in Telford are concerned that foam used to put out a huge fuel tanker fire may have entered local watercourses.
The Environment Agency has today confirmed that “no further pollutants” are entering watercourses in the Newdale area of Telford following the incident on Tuesday (April 14).
Councillor Phil Millward (Labour, Hadley Castle ward) told a meeting of Hadley & Leegomery Parish Council on Tuesday evening that he had received an alert from the Environment Agency in his role as chair of the Hurley Brook water quality group.
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The message alerted him to the incident which had the “potential for firewater to enter the brook.”
It went on to say that the EA, the fire service and other responders were monitoring the brook to identify whether there is a significant issue as a result of this incident or not.
Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service had nine appliances in attendance at the height of the incident. The public were given safety advice at the time to avoid the area and close windows and doors because of a huge plume of smoke.
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A spokesperson for the Environment Agency told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Our officers attended the site of the fire in Telford as soon as we were alerted to the situation and have been supporting the emergency services at the scene.
“Now that the fire has been extinguished, we have employed specialist contractors to remove oil and deployed containment booms to minimise impacts to the environment and we can confirm that no further pollutants are entering nearby watercourses.
“We are actively monitoring the situation and are currently awaiting the results of water samples so we can properly assess the extent of the environmental impact.”
Members of the Friends of Hurleybrook took pictures of local watercourses following the incident.
One showed what was described as ‘bright white foam’ in Hurleybrook. The other showed discoloured water, had a ‘strong diesel smell’ and a shopping trolley at Ketley Dingle.
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Councillor Millward said: “I cannot say for certain that the Ketley incident is due to the fire, but we are confident the foam is from the fire.”
The EA advises people who see any environmental issues they believe are related to call the 24/7 hotline on 0800 807060.
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