INVESTIGATORS have been unable to find out the source of a chemical that killed more than 4,000 fish in a Didcot stream.

The Environment Agency (EA) said the chemical found is widely used in cleaning products.

It has been investigating the pollution in Moor Ditch, north of the Ladygrove estate, since the dead gudgeon, roach, dace and chub were found earlier this year. Water samples taken at the time indicated that a cleaning chemical or detergent had entered the water.

Experts believe that is what killed the fish, but cannot say where the chemical came from.

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The agency’s spokeswoman Hayley Willoughby said: “We were not able to trace the source of the pollutant as the chemical that was found in the Moor Ditch is used widely in a range of cleaning products. Environment Agency officers are now providing advice and guidance on the safe storage of chemicals and oils around surface water drains in the area.”

The dead fish were first spotted by a Didcot resident on Saturday, July 26.

Initial EA estimates believed there were 250 dead fish. But over the course of the following days the number rose to 4,400.

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