A company at the centre of a toxic cyanide spill into a town’s canal have admitted responsibility for the ‘regrettable’ incident which led to a major public health alert.
The Environment Agency (EA) identified Anochrome Ltd as the cause of the significant chemical leak that occurred in Walsall, West Midlands, on Monday.
A 14-mile stretch of water that crosses the Black Country and enters Birmingham has been impacted, resulting in dead fish floating to the surface.
The EA discovered evidence of sodium cyanide in the water, which is lethal to both people and animals, and Walsall Council verified this information yesterday.
Locals have received warnings not to consume fish obtained from the canal and to stay away from the tainted rivers.
In a recent statement, the metal finishing company acknowledged that chemicals from their location had leaked into the canal and that they were attempting to stop the spill.
A spokesman for Anochrome Ltd said: ‘We can confirm that a chemical incident occurred at Anochrome Ltd Walsall in the early hours of Monday, August 12.
‘Regrettably, as a result, some of the released chemicals entered a canal in Walsall.
‘Our immediate response was to notify the Environment Agency and Severn Trent Water.
‘Our senior management team has been, and remains, on-site working collaboratively with all relevant authorities and agencies to minimise and contain the spill.
‘In addition, from the moment we were aware of the incident, we have made all our facilities available to the authorities and agencies in attendance, including inhouse laboratory testing facilities.
‘The safety of our community and the environment is our top priority.
‘We are focused on limiting the impact of this incident and will provide further updates as they become available.’
Anochrome Ltd describes itself as the ‘UK’s largest independent metal finishing company’ and a ‘quality-conscious and environmentally aware organisation.’
Since the spill was discovered on Monday night, the West Midlands Local Resilience Forum has been collaborating with the Environment Agency, UKHSA, Walsall and Sandwell Councils, West Midlands Police, West Midlands Fire, West Midlands Ambulance Service, the Canal & River Trust, and Severn Trent Water.
This has meant looking into the source of the spill and testing the canal water.
The impacted districts, which include Perry Barr Locks, Ryders Green, Walsall, and Rushall, have been asked to be avoided by the general public.
Yesterday, residents spoke of their shock at seeing the amount of dead fish floating in the water while angling experts warned of a ‘total wipe-out.’
This is shameful, and the corporation, the directors, and everyone else implicated need to face harsh sanctions.
To prohibit these enterprises from polluting inland streams, rivers, and coastal waters, drastic measures must be implemented. Evidence has demonstrated that this has continued for far too long, thus there has to be a method to end it.
Even infants consume chemicals and plastic pollution regularly, therefore our government needs to take action, and I hope their punishment fits the crime because this is having far-reaching consequences on our wildlife, fish and our population.
So, what happens now? What, they’ll get a minimal fine and a slap on the wrist because it’s far cheaper to dump in our rivers and canals than to pay another firm to dispose of chemicals safely.
The environment’s safety as well as the safety of our community should come first, and this should never have happened. I mean, just how does one ‘accidentally’ spill a toxin into a nearby river? ‘Oops sorry, the lid just came off on its own.’
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 