ONE of the country's last populations of native British crayfish is near extinction after a mystery pollution incident, it emerged yesterday.
Tens of thousands of the rare species were wiped out at the weekend in Hart Burn near Morpeth, Northumberland.
Ecologists spent the weekend surveying three kilometres of affected river after Environment Agency officers were called to the burn by a local resident.
Ecologist Anne Lewis said: ''This is one of the largest populations of native crayfish in the UK and for them to be wiped out in this way is absolutely tragic."
The agency is investigating the cause of the pollution.
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