Six mile oil slick pollutes river

Oil booms have been put in place to contain the spill and minimise damage

Central heating oil has spilled into a river in East Sussex, causing a six mile (10km) slick.

The Environment Agency said there was a visible coloured sheen on a stretch of the River Ouse between Newick and Maresfield.

Officers are on the scene and have deployed oil booms to contain the spill.

The agency said it was alerted to the pollution by members of the public calling its incident reporting hotline.

The agency said it would remain on site working to minimise the damage and investigating the source of the oil.

So far, no dead fish or other river life have been discovered.

Surveys of the affected stretch of river will take place over the coming weeks to assess the impact of any ecological impact.

"Due to our prompt efforts the impact of the pollution on the environmentally sensitive River Ouse has been greatly reduced," a spokesman said.

"We are very grateful to the public who alerted us to this incident, as this meant we could respond quickly."