Greater Manchester’s River Irwell was this morning covered in what appears to be a mysterious white foam.
Images of the waterway covered in froth were posted on social media, including by the Mersey Rivers Trust, which highlighted the matter to the authorities.
It’s not yet clear what caused the phenomenon, though some residents are fearing that it may be harmful to plants and animals.
Alastair, 30, from Manchester, told PA that he witnessed the foam at around 7am in the Greengate area of Manchester, adding that it “probably started to diminish around 8.30 or so” and that he was “pretty shocked”.
He continued: “It was a pretty continuous stream of white foam – at first I actually thought it might have been ice it was so thick.
“It’s not the first time I’ve seen pollution in the Irwell, but it’s by far the worst.”
One resident said it looked like they had woken up in Antarctica, while others compared it to the pollution in Delhi’s Yamuna river.
An Environment Agency spokesman said: “The Environment Agency is aware of foam pollution in the River Roch and downstream in the River Irwell in Manchester.
“We are currently on site investigating and are working with partners to resolve the incident. We are grateful for the public response in reporting the incident to our 24 hour Incident Hotline on 0800 80 70 60.”