River Beal turned bright green

River Beal - bright green

The River Beal was a curious bright green on Monday (13 February), sparking concern of factory contamination, but the cause is likely to have been a harmless, vegetable-based dye.

The river, which flows through Milnrow and Newhey, looked remarkably similar to a stream in Cheadle, which was dyed bright green by United Utilities in September last year to trace a pollution issue.

The green dyes commonly used by United Utilities and private companies wear off in approximately 12 hours and are non-toxic to wildlife.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency confirmed that when inspectors visited the site on Tuesday (14 February), the green colour had completely dispersed and the river was flowing as usual with no trace of algae or pollution.