Mystery of fish (and TV) found in sewage works

November 23, 2009 11:52 AM

Bosses at a water company think something fishy is going on - after finding dozens of fish in a tank at their sewage works.

Staff at the plant near Pontefract, Yorkshire, say it is not unusual to discover odd items at the sewage works - recent finds include a TV, jewellery and false teeth.

But recently they were left scratching their heads after the fish - including chubb, bream, trout and roach - were discovered in a 35m settlement tank.

The tank is used in the final stages of the sewage treatment process to remove any remaining particles before the water is discharged back into the local river - and there shouldn't be anything else in there.

As a result no-one is quite sure how they got in - though one punning worker suggested it could be an act of Cod.

One possibility is that they may have been washed in back in 2007 when a nearby beck burst its banks engulfing part of the adjacent works, including the final settlement tank.

As the water subsided, the fish could have remained in the tank, happily feeding on the abundant algae deposits.

Site operator Jeff Eades, who discovered the fish, said: "For some time now I've had my suspicions that there was something in the tank but every time I or anybody else approached the side of the tank, the fish must have heard us coming and dived to the bottom.

"However, over time, they appear to have got used to the sound of us nearby and they're now quite happy swimming near the surface."

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Yorkshire Water