I regularly fish the River Foss north of York and love this short, often abused, little river. So I was distressed to read of the pollution caused last week by a farmer's "over-enthusiastic" spreading of pig slurry (Evening Press, August 1).

Visiting the river at Strensall last Sunday ended any hope that your reports may have been pessimistic.

Dead fish such as pike, chub, roach and other species littered the river.

Many were mature fish of good size. They will be impossible to replace with like-for-like, even if, as I sincerely hope, appropriate compensation is eventually obtained from the polluter.

The black water stank, despite the reported efforts of the Environment Agency and York Council to reduce the effects by releasing more water into the river.

Ironically, on my journey to work each day I pass a banner in a roadside field claiming something to the effect that the beauty of the British countryside comes to us courtesy of British farmers! Somebody should tell the muck-spreader!

Even more depressing is that two days before your first report of the pollution I received the annual report of the Anglers Conservation Association, an organisation dedicated to fighting river and lake pollution and to pursuing prosecution and compensation when they occur.

I quote from the report as follows "River Foss - A small Yorkshire stream providing good wild brown trout fishing was polluted with slurry (once again!) spread on a field by a nearby farmer".

This report is about another bit of "over-enthusiastic" farming in 1999!

Stephen Jones,

Eastfield Avenue,

Haxby,

York.

...ONCE again the River Foss has been polluted by a farmer spreading slurry.

Fish and other forms of wildlife have been threatened and killed. This tiny river has been constantly polluted many times from one source or another. How many more times does the poor Foss have to endure destruction before action is taken?

I hope that the Environment Agency takes this seriously and prevents it happening again.

D A Heald,

Huntington Road,

York.

Updated: 08:22 Saturday, August 09, 2003