I took this photo of sewage pouring into Houghton Brook on 16th July, just what I had feared happening each time one of these manhole covers overflows, several times a year. This was at 9.00am, and it wasn't stopped till sometime after 2.00pm. The cause was a blocked sewer. Please don't put non-biodegradable items down the toilet! You can see here what happens when we do.
On the other side of the bridge a blackbird was dipping its head as if to drink but stopping at the smell.
We can only hope that our water voles were equally wary and kept well away, but they will have to find food and will be vulnerable to predators if they cannot escape by water. The sewage reached to just below the vole trapping area, the free flow having been slowed perhaps by a big dam of branches at the field bridge. The worst pollution is in the section which will be by-passed by the new stream when it is dug in August.
The Environment Agency classified it as a Category 2 pollution incident, the second worst incident. The sewage was sucked out over the next few days and the case is now closed. This spill diminishes still further the chances of our voles surviving the upheavals they've already endured.
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A few more flowers snapped before the fences were erected along the buslink.
Rosebay willowherb is renowned for springing up where trees are cut down, so here are patches of magenta blossoms where the copse used to be.
Ragwort is often regarded as a weed but insects love it, and who can fail to be impressed by this splendid specimen!
I had very profitable discussions at the 'Meet the Contractors' Exhibition on Tuesday and am hopeful that some benefits for our wildlife and local community will come from it.
There may be a lot of mess around us on the ground, but the sky above is still beautiful!
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