OIL AND DIESEL has heavily polluted a river in what is believed to be a case of industrial dumping by business in the surrounding area.

The Cut, which runs through Binfield and Bracknell, was found black with oil this week.

Angry residents say the river has been gone through stages of pollution for over a year and are yet to find out the true source of the pollution. 

Owen Basara-Hamilton, a Bracknell resident, said: "This pollution dumping has been going on well over a year and is simply unacceptable. It is not coming through in little bits either, there is a lot of it.

"We have seen oil, diesel and all sorts of substances flowing down the river which must be contamination from the up-river industrial sites and nobody is doing anything about it.

"This water course doesn’t just stop when it leaves Bracknell, it continues under the Binfield hump back bridge and winds it’s way all out through Hurst and Twyford irrigating land all the way through, before eventually flowing into the Thames."

Thames Water have put measures in place at the point where the system discharges to The Cut so, if any further pollutants enter the pipe network, they will be captured before getting into the watercourse.

"We need more attendance from the council and a better effort to find out the source of this pollution so it can be dealt with properly," Mr Basara-Hamilton added.

The Environment Agency says it is working on finding the source of the pollution.

An Environment Agency spokesman said: "We received reports throughout 2017 relating to pollutants discharging from three surface water outfalls at Jocks Lane, Bracknell. These separate incidents have consisted of a range of different pollutants from different sources.

"The three outfalls in this location are Thames Water Utilities Limited (TWUL) assets who are aware of their responsibility for the discharges from these assets.

"We are working with TWUL to investigate the source of these polluting discharges.

"Last month (October) teams of our staff and TWUL engaged with operators on the estate about pollution prevention to raise awareness and identify any potential problems."

Members of the public are urged to contact the Environment Agency if pollution is suspected on 0800 80 70 60.