"Watchdog investigates ‘unacceptable’ cyanide spill in Walsall canal," 15 August 2024

The Environment Agency has described a cyanide spill into a West Midlands canal... and promised robust action if any wrongdoing is found to have occurred.

A major incident was declared after the spill of sodium cyanide into a canal in Walsall...

The Environment Agency said it was investigating a metal finishing company, Anochrome Ltd, after the spill.

Anochrome said it had immediately notified the agency and Severn Trent Water after the incident and its senior management team remained on site working to minimise and contain the spill.

Experts said ingestion of water with a sufficiently high amount of sodium cyanide could result in symptoms of nausea, weakness, aches and loss of consciousness.

...Dead fish have been spotted in the canal and there are concerns about the wider effect on wildlife.

In a statement the company confirmed that a chemical incident occurred in Walsall in the early hours of Monday. “Regrettably, as a result, some of the released chemicals entered a canal in Walsall.”

It added: “The safety of our community and the environment is our top priority. We are focused on limiting the impact of this incident and will provide further updates as they become available.”