Pollution in field is from Travellers’ site - Leicestershire

From the Harborough Mail

Pollution found in a ditch near the Grand Union Canal in Harborough is coming from the Travellers’ site nearby, it has been confirmed.

A man, who did not want to be named, spotted the pollution earlier this month and contacted Harborough District Council to raise his concerns.

The council told him it has made great efforts to resolve the issue which it says is coming from the Greenacres site.

A council spokesman said: “The situation at Greenacres is a very complex case that has been investigated by the council in conjunction with various other responsible agencies including the Environment Agency, The Canal and River Trust, Leicestershire County Council, the Travellers’ Liaison Officer, Anglian Water, affected land owners and local drainage contractors.

“While we know that the source of the pollution is from the site, despite the best efforts of all parties, we have been unable to conclude the exact cause of the problem.

“We are, however, continuing to investigate the issue.”

The man who reported the waste said the discharge looked like human waste but the council denied this.

The spokesman said: “Visibly it is not sewage. It is a dark-coloured foul liquid with the absence of any faeces.

“We are using the term ‘foul discharge’.”

The spokesman said there is no evidence the pollution is leaking into the nearby Grand Union Canal.

The Environment Agency said it was aware of the problem and it is working with the council to resolve it.

A similar issue was reported near Greenacres in October 2011 when sewage was seen seeping into a field from a pipe.