Accidental oil spill in Egleton near Oakham threatens wildlife at Rutland Water Nature Reserve

The safety of wildlife at a nature reserve is under threat following an oil leak.

Residents in Egleton near Oakham raised an alarm two weeks agp after seeing oil in the village brook which flows directly into Rutland Water Nature Reserve.

Anglian Water immediately dispatched an emergency response crew, which identified the source as a leakage from a residential heating tank which had released hundreds of litres of oil into the brook.

Teams from Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust and the Environment Agency are working alongside Anglian Water on the clean-up operation.

Tim Sexton, senior species and recording officer from Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust said: “Thanks to swift action from Anglian Water much of the spill was contained before reaching the nature reserve.

“However, a significant quantity of oil has made its way into the protected nature reserve and site of special scientific interest, which we have been working to clean up.

“We are yet to see the full consequences of this terrible accident on the wildlife and will be closely monitoring the situation with both Anglian Water and the Environment Agency.”

More than 50 fish have been found dead following the oil spill as well as a moorhen and water shrew. With more than 20,000 birds at the nature reserve throughout the winter, there are concerns for their health too.

Tim wants this incident to serve as a warning to other owners of domestic heating oil tanks to ensure they are well-maintained to prevent similar environmental incidents.

Authorities continue to monitor the area to assess any long-term impact on the ecosystem.