• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

News and entertainment worth sharing – York and North Yorkshire

  • News
  • Radio
  • Vouchers
  • WIN
  • More
    • Tickets
    • Lifestyle
    • Advertise
    • About
    • Contact

‘Raw sewage involved’ in the death of fish in York’s River Foss

Thu 13 Jul

Dead fish in the Foss. Photograph: David Dunning

Thu 13 Jul 2023  @ 8:24am
David Dunning
Environment, News

Raw sewage pollution was a factor in the deaths of hundreds of fish in the River Foss in York last month.

That’s the belief of the River Foss Society following a probe by University of York scientists.

YorkMix reported that the dead fish could be seen in the river next to both Foss Islands Road and Huntington Road on 22 June.

A dead fish in the River Foss. Photograph: David Dunning

The Environment Agency said they believed the most likely cause of the deaths was low oxygen levels in the water due to the high temperatures and low atmospheric pressure.

Yorkshire Water say they visited the Foss after the fish die-off and found no sewage present in the water.

However, councillors have since said that tests by University of York scientists did suggest raw sewage was a factor.


Fifty years of protecting the River Foss celebrated in York


Mike Gray, events organiser for the River Foss Society, said they agreed.

“The level of paracetamol that was found in the river by York University scientists was interesting,” he told YorkMix.

“When you get high levels of paracetamol in the river, you know there’s raw sewage involved.

“We know the fish kill was quite limited and started by the old railway bridge down Huntington Road.

“While we can’t quite work out what’s killed them you can be sure it wasn’t just lack of oxygen as the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water tried to claim.

“I doubt we will ever find out exactly what happened but definitely there was sewage put into the river, higher up by Earswick.”

[tptn_list limit=3 daily=1 hour_range=1]


Trending »


Primary Sidebar

Footer

Contact us

General
01904 375 029

Studio/competitions
01904 375 030

Email YorkMix »

5-6 King's Court
Shambles
York  YO1 7LD

Listen to us

You can listen to YorkMix Radio using your DAB+ radio, Alexa or Google smart speaker, or online using the links below.

Click here to listen to YorkMix Radio »

Download the app from Google Play store
Download the app from Apple App store
About us

YorkMix is a trading name of
York Sound Ltd

Registered in England
Company no: 12831940
VAT no: GB289462452

YorkMix Radio public file

  • About
  • Public file
  • Privacy policy
  • Corrections & complaints
  • Contact

Copyright © 2025 YorkMix