On Tuesday 18 February a large amount of diesel was washed into the Wandle causing untold damage to our river, birds and fish. Official advice is still to stay away from the water. We’re seeing improvements since it happened but it’s important to stay vigilant and report anything out of the ordinary.
Lots of people are asking us what we can do to help. So we wanted to bring together a summary of
- everything we know about the spill and what’s been done so far
- how to report pollution or distressed birds, or support with donations.
What we know about the spill
In the morning of Tuesday 18 Feb, 4,000 litres of diesel was spilled at an Arriva bus garage in Thornton Heath near Croydon. It made its way into the river Wandle through highway and surface drains.
The Fire Brigade and Environment Agency were alerted immediately. They mobilised to start containing the spill and stop more oil getting in the river.
The Morden Hall Park team worked fast to mitigate the risk of diesel getting into the wetlands at Morden Hall and the inner channels in Watermeads Nature Reserve. And the environment agency attended the site at Watermeads.
After reports of local birds being affected by the pollution, local bird charities got involved to rescue waterfowl coated in diesel.
On Wednesday morning the environment agency returned. Contractors Aller and Allan installed booms and electrostatically charged pads designed to extract the diesel near the Miranda Hill memorial bench in Watermeads. Booms have also been installed at other points in the Wandle.
No new diesel is entering the river from the spill site. The environment agency, The Fire Brigade, Thames Water and teams up and down the river are monitoring the effectiveness of measures put in place to clean up the spill.
The Environment Agency are investigating the cause of this tragic incident. Our local MPs Bobby, Sarah, Siobhan and our councillors are keeping the pressure on to make sure the polluters are held to account. Alongside Bobby and Jack from South East Rivers Trust, we spoke to BBC news to help highlight the seriousness of this event.
What can we do to help?
Lots of people have asked us what they can do to help. As far as we know there are no volunteer opportunities to get hands on with the clean up. But there are some things we can do.
Birds in distress
If you see any birds in distress or want to donate to help rescue birds, contact The Swan Sanctuary.
If you see any dead waterfowl with signs of pollution report to Environment Agency hotline: 0800 80 70 60 (24-hour service) and to your local council for removal as per government guidelines:
- Sutton’s online reporting service falls under their roadkill reporting
- Merton’s online reporting service is called their dead animal service
New signs of pollution
If you see:
- any new signs of pollution
- fish in distress
call the Environment Agency hotline: 0800 80 70 60 (24-hour service)
Donate for the aftermath
South East Rivers Trust are looking to the future and have launched a crowd funder to pay for better monitoring and testing.
You can donate online to support their work.
*This article was last updated on Tues 25 Feb at 2pm*
Sources
- Merton Council statement on the spill (24 Feb)
- SERT’s Jack Hogan article about long term environmental impact on MyLondon
- Bobby Dean’s letter to the Environment Minister calling for accountability (Instagram)
- BBC Clean up on Wandle article
- Statement from Siobhain McDonagh (Facebook)
- Statement from Sarah Jones MP for Croydon (Facebook)
Photo: John Whitehead
Friends of Poulter Park and Revesby Wood 