Heatwave means death for fish

Environmental experts may have to re-stock a stretch of river after the recent hot weather killed 20,000 fish, it was disclosed yesterday. The fish suffocated after oxygen levels plummeted in the waters along a 2km stretch of the Old Bedford River at Sutton Gault, Cambridgeshire.

Experts from the Environment Agency were called to the river on Sunday, where they found thousands of dead roach and perch, and several hundred dead pike, bream and tench.

A spokeswoman said: "The dead fish were mostly small roach, but other fish were also affected and after an assessment we may find we need to re-stock. The fish died because the hot weather left water temperatures high and caused more reeds to grow, which depleted the dissolved oxygen levels and suffocated the fish."