YELLOW fish have been spotted out of water along Witney’s roads.

And if that sounds alarming, that is exactly the point: the cartoon fish are part of a sticker campaign urging residents to be careful when putting things down the drain.

Oxfordshire County Council’s Lower Windrush Valley Project and the Environment Agency have launched the campaign to emphasises the harm caused to fish when pollutants enter rivers and streams.

In October 2016, a chemical leak killed about 1,700 fish in a stretch of Colwell Brook and Queen Emma’s Dyke near Witney Lake.

County council cabinet member for environment Yvonne Constance spoke about the importance of raising awareness on the issue.

She said: “People very rarely make the connection between what they put down the drain and what happens to it once it’s out of their hands.

“Wildlife – particularly that which lives in rivers, streams and lakes – is taken for granted, but the slightest change in the water – for instance if something nasty gets put down the drain – can have terrible consequences.

“The stickers are eye-catching and unusual enough to make anyone who sees them take a closer look. Hopefully, once they realise why they are there, they will be pleased to have been warned.”

The Windrush team will soon take to the Station Lane area, near Witney Lake, deploying stickers and speaking with businesses and residents to raise awareness about water pollution.

The ‘yellow fish’ initiative was developed by the Environment Agency and is now being taken up by groups with an interest in the environment across the country.

Ian Busby from GSM Automotive on the Station Lane industrial estate said: “GSM has been operating from Station Lane for 35 years.

“We place great importance on our environmental responsibility, so participating in the yellow fish project is very useful in helping communicate the importance of maintaining surface water integrity to our team members.

“Being born and bred in Witney, protection of the environment here is also personally extremely important.”

Stuart Malaure from the Environment Agency said he had high hopes for the impact of the scheme in Witney.

He said: “The yellow fish scheme is a brilliant way to show residents and local businesses how to reduce pollution from our towns to our rivers.

“We’re raising awareness of our message ‘only rain down the drain’ and the project in Witney will hopefully reduce pollution to the River Windrush.”

See oilcare.org.uk/avoid-pollution/yellow-fish