A POLLUTION incident on the River Teifi has been branded “catastrophic” and “an environmental disaster” after at least 1,000 fish were killed, including large numbers of salmon and sea trout.

An ongoing investigation by Natural Resource Wales (NRW) on the spill has found that a eight-kilometre - roughly five miles - stretch of the river have been affected.

NRW launched the investigation into the spill after receiving reports of discolouration of the River Teifi on Saturday (17 December).

Officers have been to the river and identified the likely source as an agricultural site in the Tregaron area.

Martin Cox, Operations Manager for NRW said: “Our survey work indicates a six-kilometre stretch with almost all fish dead, and a further two kilometre zone where a large proportion of fish have been killed.

“There is little evidence of significant numbers of dead fish beyond this.

“Control measures are in place to prevent further pollution and our officers are investigating the cause.”

NRW teams have been working on site to ensure control measures are in place to prevent further pollution and carry out surveys to assess the impact on fish and other river life.

Conservationists from the charity Salmon & Trout Conservation Cymru (S&TCC) have been left stunned by the “devastating impact” of the incident.

Helen Jobson, S&TCC’s Wales officer, said: “This incident can only be described as an environmental disaster which has concerning, and as yet unquantified, consequences for the fish populations, invertebrate numbers and the ecology of the river as a whole.

“This is a catastrophic pollution event for the River Teifi and because of its scale it can be considered as a serious acute incident.”

Pollution control measures such as bunds are in place to reduce the impact on the river and wildlife.

Gavin Bown, South West Duty Manager for NRW, said: “Our rivers provide a home to rich, diverse and valuable species of plants and animals so it’s important to deal with pollution as quickly as possible.

“Please report pollution, dead fish or fish in distress to our 24 hour incident line on 03000 65 3000.”