Part of a river in Swindon has turned bright white.
A pedestrian strolling near the Tawny Owl pub at around 3.15pm on Saturday noticed that the clear water had become completely opaque and full of an unknown material that turned it uniformly white.
She told the Adver: “I was shocked. You can’t see the bottom of the stream.
"Whatever is in that river needs to be investigated. I spoke to someone who walked past only 20 minutes before I did and she said it had been clear, so it must have only just happened.
"This is so worrying for the wildlife and children who play in the stream's area. The stream flows to Moulden Hill lake and beyond to Purton."
The concerned woman reported her findings to the Environment Agency.
A Thames Water pumping station is situated between the Tawny Owl pub and Thamesdown Drive.
A live map indicates that a storm overflow pump in Purton has been discharging sewage into a tributary of the River Key since 7am on Thursday.
Another storm overflow in Rodbourne discharged sewage into the River Ray between 8.45am on Thursday and 5.45am on Saturday.
An upgrade at the Swindon Sewage Treatment Work is planned to increase the capacity of the sludge stream, which will improve efficiency, and is due for completion in 2030.
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