Under the supervision of Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) officers the pollution incident at the Gadie Burn near Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, was successfully stopped last night.

Mitigation measures put in place as required by SEPA appear to have worked and it is now estimated that approximately 500,000 litres of pig slurry entered the watercourse. SEPA officers on site have also continued to oversee the clean up operation, which is well underway.

Slurry of this quantity may reduce oxygen in the watercourse, which may result in fish mortality. Another more serious aspect of this waste is the high ammonia concentration within pig slurry together with the high level of suspended solids. This combination makes the effluent highly polluting.

SEPA ecologists on site have yet to confirm any sightings of dead fish.

SEPA staff will return to the site over the weekend and will continue to monitor and assess the environmental impact as part of their ongoing investigation.

ENDS