MORE than 1,000 fish have been found dead along the banks of a County Durham river in a suspected pollution incident.

Officers from the Environment Agency were called to the River Gaunless, near Bishop Auckland, at the weekend after a member of the public noticed dead fish floating in the water and lying by the riverside.

About 500 trout and at least 500 other coarse fish such as bullhead, stone loach and minnows died in a 2km stretch of the river downstream from South Church where the Gaunless meets the River Wear.

Officers suspect a pollution incident caused the deaths. Low dissolved oxygen in the water appears to have suffocated the fish, so some of the fish have been sent for analysis.

Environment management team leader Ian Preston said: "We are investigating this serious incident with a view to prosecuting the offenders.

"We do currently have some leads and will be following these up in the next few days."

Polluting a watercourse can result in a fine of up to £20,000 and a three-month prison sentence at magistrates' court or an unlimited fine and prison sentence of up to two years at crown court.

The loss of life came as a blow to Agency officers who have spent more than two years cleaning up the river and increasing stock.

Their work includes the installation of a revolutionary fish pass to assist migratory fish on their journey upstream for spawning. That has seen salmon and sea trout numbers increase.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: "It is a great shame when life is lost at any site, but particularly when such progress has been made to encourage stock to thrive because of specific efforts."