AN INVESTIGATION has been launched after dead fish were found in a brook.

Environment Agency Officers are carrying out a biological survey at Black Brook between Padeswood and Buckley following a pollution spillage which occurred at about 4pm on Tuesday.

The spillage in Pool Lane, which is believed to be sewage, has caused the death of sticklebacks and minnows.

A spokesman for Environment Agency Wales said about 20 fish were known to have died, but that figure was expected to rise. It is not yet clear how the spillage had occurred.

By yesterday evening the water quality was showing signs of improvement.

The agency spokesman said: “The water quality at the Black Brook is continuing to improve with oxygen levels in the water getting back to normal.

“The investigation continues as evidence is collected to see if action can be taken against those responsible.”

Enviro Watch UK member and Flintshire councillor Klaus Armstrong-Braun is very concerned about the spillage.

He said: “It’s not only the fish that get killed, but the whole water eco-system including the insects and birds that live on the water’s eco-system.

“Once they die off you have a stagnant and dead stream and that can take a long time to recover.”