Rare colony of crayfish wiped out

The disease can be spread by the introduction of other crayfish

A colony of endangered crayfish living in a Midlands river has been wiped out, the Environment Agency says.

Hundreds of the rare white-clawed species in the River Dove, which runs between Staffordshire and Derbyshire, were killed by crayfish plague.

The fish were found between Hartington and Milldale. Any others in the river are likely to suffer the same fate.

An agency spokesman said: "This is a tragedy for one of our rare native species whose numbers are declining."

'Ecological disaster'

Fisheries team leader Phil Wormald said: "It highlights the importance of protecting native crayfish populations and preventing the spread of diseases between river catchments,

"We may never know how the disease was introduced into the River Dove but there are measures people can take to help us prevent such an ecologocial disaster happening again."

Crayfish plague can be spread by the introducion of the American signal crayfish into the water or by spores on people's footwear and equipment.