PEOPLE spending the Bank Holiday weekend by East Lancashire's waterways are asked to keep a lookout for tell-tale signs of pollution.

The Environment Agency is hoping anglers and others will be able to spot early signs of problems with water quality.

Weather patterns in spring and summer can create conditions which lead to fish deaths, sometimes on a large scale.

Algal blooms, summer storms which wash pollution off land into watercourses and pollution from slurry and silage liquor can all put fish in danger.

The Agency's regional fisheries, ecology and recreation manager Mark Diamond said: "The Environment Agency has an important role in protecting fisheries, but factors which cause large scale fish deaths are often difficult to predict. "As waters warm up during hot weather, they become less able to retain vital levels of oxygen - particularly in shallow or slow-flowing watercourses, such as canals, and where there is heavy weed growth or little or no tree cover to provide shade.

"It is then that waters become more vulnerable and prone to fish kills."

The tell-tale signs to look for include large numbers of fish gasping for air on the surface, a smell of ammonia and brown-tinged water - a sign of farm slurry or silage liquor, and dead fish.

Anyone noticing any of these signs should ring the Agency's pollution hotline on 0800 807060.

Mr Diamond said: "Although in some cases, the occurrence of fish mortalities cannot be helped, they can often be limited by the swift, efficient action of the Environment Agency.

"However we do not have eyes everywhere and that is why we rely on the invaluable information provided by river users."

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