'No signs of life' in stream after sewage spill

A campaigner has raised concerns about the ecological impact on a stream after a burst main at a nearby pumping station resulted in sewage being released into the water.

Gill Hickman of New Forest Friends of the Earth said water quality testing in March and April showed high levels of E. coli in Danestream.

She said while pollution levels have since dropped "significantly", the ecological impact is "massive" which will take "much longer to reverse".

Southern Water says it has switched off the pumping station while it arranges a repair and is working to prevent similar issues in future. The Environment Agency says it would expect the impact of the pollution incident to "continue reducing".

Hickman said in April, water quality testing carried out by volunteers showed E. coli Colony-Forming Unit (CFU) levels had reached 100,000 per 100ml.

She said anything over 900 CFU is classed as poor bathing quality, and as a result, the group put up signs warning people not to enter the water.

"The risk of infection at this sort of level was really quite substantial," she said.

"The water course has got no signs of life.

"We found dead fish. We had real concerns for animal health.

"This is a stream that means a lot to local people, it's a little gem."

Southern Water said the burst main at the pumping station at Shorefield Road, Lymington was reported to it on May 1.

Hickman said that testing carried out earlier this week shows a "significant" drop in E. coli levels, which is "welcome progress".

She said comparing Danestream to other water courses in the New Forest - some of which she says have "brilliant" water quality - is "particularly sad".

On Monday, Lib Dem county councillor David Harrison said while he did see some live fish in the stream, "there can be no doubt about the harm caused to such a sensitive site which is a habitat for so many creatures".

He added: "I simply do not understand how it is that human beings can achieve such great things like sending people to the moon and back but cannot apparently keep our rivers free of sewage."

Southern Water said it has been working with external parties to arrange a repair of the main, which is scheduled to take place in the coming days after concerns about seasonal wildlife disturbance caused a delay.

It said it is using tankers to carry tankering flows for treatment while it arranges a repair.

A spokesman said: "Independent environmental sampling teams are carrying out weekly sampling of the watercourse and the results are being shared with the Environment Agency."

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: "Rivers and designated bathing waters have very different standards that we measure against and we do not routinely monitor non-bathing waters such as Danestream for E. coli because its presence has no direct impact on the river's ecology."

The spokesperson added that the agency is keeping a "close eye" on the "ongoing repair" of the rising main nearby.