ANIMALS have died after “thousands of litres” of oil leaked into the River Penk from a disused industrial estate.
Villagers say the streets of Penkridge reeked of fumes for days after the Christmas Eve spill emanating from the Lyne Hill Industrial Estate.
A heron and other birds are among the animals reported dead or injured after the spill.
An RSPCA spokesman said: “We were called to this oil spill on December 28 after a heron was discovered covered in oil.
“Two of our inspectors rescued the bird and took it to Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre, where sadly it later died.
“It was covered in oil and it was also very thin, possibly because the freezing conditions may have made it hard for it to feed.” The clean-up was concluded early this week after Environment Agency workers started the operation on Christmas Day.
They were joined by operatives from Wooldridge Demolition, the firm currently knocking down the site for its unidentified owners.
Company director Nick Anderson said he believed the leak was caused by thieves breaking into the site and smashing pipes in an attempt to steal diesel.
He said his firm has launched an investigation and are working with police who claim they have no record of any crime being reported.
Mr Anderson said: “The offenders were unable to steal the diesel as we’d locked all the fuel tanks, so they decided to smash the pipes.
“This filled an interceptor, which ran off and partly contaminated the river. We sent five operatives out on Christmas Day to work with the environment agency and minimise the damage.
“We installed booms and tanks to pump wasted fuel away, and that process has been going continuously.
“We’ve also contacted the police and are treating this as a very serious criminal offence.” Parish councillor Bevan Craddock told the Newsletter how the cold weather caused the fumes to hang over the village.
He said: “It was particularly bad in the village centre, where the brook flows under the road, and people walking on the footpath from New Road to Wolgarston Way have also said it was very smelly over the festive period.
“We must thank all those who worked on Christmas Day to clean up and it’s vital we find out who’s responsible for this.”
