A STREAM flowing through Bishops Meadow into the River Wey was turned white earlier this month after the Environment Agency believes someone poured paint down a drain.

The contamination was first spotted on August 10 when a member of the public notified the Environment Agency’s incident hotline, and an investigation was launched to get to the bottom of the problem.

An agency spokesperson told the Herald: “As Thames Water have assets nearby we asked if they could identify the cause or source of the pollution.

“After investigation they reported back that the pollution seemed to be a result of an unidentified third party fly-tipping paint or a paint like substance into the surface drains.

“Further information from Waverley Borough Council, who also visited the site, confirmed that there was slight discolouration in the watercourse and no odour on the afternoon of August 11, marking an improvement from the previous evening.

“This further indicated that the discolouration was a result of a fly tip into a drain, rather than an ongoing pollution. The source of the pollution was not identified and the incident is now closed.

“Anyone witnessing, or with information about such pollution, should report it to our 24 hours incident hotline on 0800 807060.”