Chalk stream pollution 'came from road run-off'

Pollution spotted in an East Yorkshire chalk steam is thought to have come from road run-off, a water company has said.

Yorkshire Water told the BBC it had investigated the contamination of Driffield Beck.

Residents complained on social media they had seen what they thought was oil, with some reporting their sightings to the Environment Agency (EA) on 13 January.

Yorkshire Water said it was preparing a detailed report for the EA.

A spokesperson for the water company said: "Following our initial investigation we believe that the contaminant originated from highways surface water run-off entering the watercourse, and are in the process of preparing our detailed report to submit to the Environment Agency.

"However, our investigations suggest that this is not a Yorkshire Water-related incident."

An EA spokesperson said there was "no obvious impact on the wildlife".

Chalk streams - which come from underground chalk reservoirs - are considered to be rare and special water sources.

Residents were thanked for reporting the pollution to the EA.

Anyone with further information about the source of the contamination is asked to contact the agency.

Listen to highlights fromHull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look Northor tell us about a story you think we should be coveringhere.

Download the BBC News app from the App Storefor iPhone and iPad orGoogle Play for Android devices