Pollution kills fish, eels and birds in Moray's Knockando Burn feeding River Spey

A pollution incident in Moray killed a significant number of fish and other wildlife including eels and birds. A chemical, thought to be caustic soda, is understood to have entered the water at the Knockando burn, which flows into the River Spey, in the last few days. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said it was investigating the incident, which has affected a more than mile-long (2km) stretch of the burn. Fly fishers say the salmon population at the burn has been wiped out and could take years to recover. Duncan Ferguson, director of the Spey Fishery Board, said it was one of the largest pollution incidents he had seen in 36 years of working on the river. 'It's a tragic event,' he said. 'It's a really bad outcome and it didn't have to happen.' Ferguson said the salmon population could face a five-year period of recovery. The chemical is thought to be industrially linked, he added. The spill comes during the peak period for fly fishing on the Spey. A Sepa spokesman said: 'We are investigating a potential pollution incident in a tributary of the River Spey and are working to identify the source and impacts.'

Last month a number of salmon died when white paint was spilled into the Burn of Carron, another tributary of the River Spey. The pollution left the water a milky white colour and smelling of turpentine. Initial investigations traced it back to a layby on the A95. Spey Fishery Board chairman Peter Graham said: 'This is heart-breaking after all the hard work by our staff that has gone into trying to rejuvenate the river, only to see it damaged in this way by what appears to be fly-tipping.'