NEWLY elected MP Vikki Slade has called on Wessex Water and the Environment Agency to launch an urgent investigation after reports of children falling sick and dead fish and birds being found in the River Stour.

Vikki Slade, who recently resigned from her role as leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council in light of being elected as MP, was alerted by residents of a potential pollution episode at Eye Bridge on the River Stour which has apparently caused children to be unwell and to have killed swans and other river birds.

Local watersports enthusiasts reported a bad smell coming from the river over an extended period before the upsetting discovery, which has now been cleaned up.

She has now written to Wessex Water and the Environment Agency calling for an urgent investigation and increased water testing along this stretch of the River Stour

Liberal Democrats have led the way in campaigning against sewage dumping in the area. Nationally the party recently announced plans to abolish Ofwat, introducing a new regulator with greater powers, which follows its plans for a ban on water company executive bonuses.

Vikki Slade said: “I visited the site on Sunday evening after being alerted to the problem and spoke with local residents, paddleboarders and a representative of the local Angling Club.

“They were concerned about how the river had become polluted and I agreed to write not only to the water authorities but also to National Trust and to Dorset Wildlife Trust.

“I only visited the site in May where I observed their volunteers sampling water for invertebrates that indicated the health of the water.

“Last year I even wrote to DEFRA to apply for bathing water status at Eye Bridge but they were not willing to entertain it.

“I want people to be able to enjoy wild swimming and paddling away from the beaches but incidents like this make me very concerned about encouraging people to use the river.

“We need to understand urgently where this pollution come from.

“We should not jump to conclusions about what has happened but we must ensure that if this has been through deliberate pollution or negligence that those responsible are held to account.

“We have campaigned for many years for clean water and we need to look at measures like establishing Public Benefit Companies to ensure that the water companies are not just accountable to their shareholders but also to the public through the assessment of social good.”