River clean-up begins after oil leak

A clean-up operation was under way today after pollution experts battled overnight to contain 3,000 litres of oil which leaked into a river.

A clean-up operation was under way today after pollution experts battled overnight to contain 3,000 litres of oil which leaked into a river.

The Environment Agency said the alarm was raised late last night after a storage tank capable of containing 11,000 gallons of diesel oil leaked into a tributary of the River Rother.

The tank supplies a diesel generator used as a standby for the pumping station at the Darwell Reservoir near Robertsbridge, on the Kent-East Sussex border.

Environment Agency protection officers placed booms across the stream and used absorbent pads to soak up some of the spillage.

The EA said it had informed Southern Water of the situation and would be bringing in contractors today to help clean up the area around the spill.

The oil was believed to have leaked out of a fractured pipe attached to the storage tank.

A spokeswoman said it was too early to say how much oil was actually in the tank when the leak started, but it was currently about half full.