River Stour turned milky white as industrial pollution rears ugly head in Halesowen

The water has been turned into a milky white liquid on several occasions which has covered a three mile stretch of the river.

Halesowen environmentalist Ian Goddard has been recording the pollution.

He said: "Thousands of gallons of industrial waste is polluting the waterways and probably wiping out marine life.

"I have established the pollution is coming from the area of Halesowen Industrial Park up Coombs Road and turns the normally crystal clear river a disgusting milky white."

Mr Goddard is hunting the source of the pollution and has notified the Environment Agency.

He said: "There have been several incidents of serious river pollution which I have spotted over the last few months with the last incident ending with three miles of the River Stour heavily polluted.

"My guess by the timings is that a factory is dumping all its waste in to the river at the end of the working day rather than pay to have it treated."

The River Stour starts in the Clent Hills and runs for 25 miles through Halesowen, Cradley Heath, Stourbridge, Kidderminster and joins the River Severn in Worcestershire.

Cradley Heath and Old Hill Councillor John Tipper said: "This type of environmental vandalism is awful and is something that should be consigned to history."

Originally full of trout the river became synonymous with pollution as for two centuries factories which powered the industrial revolution dumped huge amounts of waste into the water killing wildlife.

The River Stour Clear Water Project organise clean ups throughout the year and are launching a new boat, Little Stour Warrior, this Sunday.

Rosanne Adams, from the project, said: "We are doing our best to clean up stretches of the River Stour as there are many places that are full of rubbish and pollution and we are always seeking volunteers to do this."

Anyone who has any information concerning pollution in the River Stour should call the Environment Agency on 0800 807060.