A COMMUNITY in Cornwall is still waiting for answers more than a year after a pollution incident in a river killed hundreds, if not thousands, of fish.

The pollution occurred in the St Austell River, also known as the White River, to the south of St Austell.

Cornwall councillor James Mustoe said the incident had sent a “shocking and catastrophic” wave of pollution down the White River in the Pentewan Valley.

Cllr Mustoe (Conservative), who represents the Mevagissey and St Austell Bay division, said: “One year on, I wanted to place on record that the local community have not forgotten and are still waiting for the outcome of the investigation the Environment Agency has been conducting since that day.

“Water pollution cases often take years to conclude, but this one, while absolutely devastating, and described by the Environment Agency at the time as ‘high category’, was confined to one spill, in one geographic location, over a relatively short period of time, so could in theory take less time to investigate.

“Locally, we will continue to do all we can to ensure this terrible incident is not forgotten about, and that those who were responsible, both in enabling the pollution and actually causing it, are held accountable at the highest level.”

The fish and other smaller creatures were killed after liquid lime entered the river on Thursday, June 19, last year.

South West Water confirmed after the incident that the chemical, which is used in waste water treatment, entered the river from its Menagwins waste water treatment site in the Pentewan Valley.

Nick Taylor from the Three Bays Wildlife group said of the pollution: “It had an instant, catastrophic impact on the river life, essentially killing virtually all creatures in the stretch of river from the sewage works to the sea.”