A pollution incident that occured yesterday (July 1) has killed numerous fish in the River Lew, near Okehampton.

The Environment Agency have said that they will continue surveys throughout today to get a figure of how many fish died as a result of the incident.

In the meantime, pet and livestock owners have been requested to keep their animals away from the river as a precaution.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “Environment Agency officers are responding to a pollution incident on a tributary of the River Lew near Okehampton, Devon which has sadly caused the death of a number of fish.

“Samples have been taken from the river for analysis to help identify the source of the pollutant and investigations are ongoing to ascertain how this incident occurred and the extent of the impact on the river.

“Whilst the nature of the pollutant is yet to be confirmed we have advised local landowners and residents to keep pets and livestock away from the river as a precaution. Members of the public are urged to report pollution incidents by contacting our 24-hour hotline on 0800 807060."